MANCHESTER, N.H. (AP) — Marco Rubio faced withering criticism of his readiness to be president and his policy depth in the last Republican debate before Tuesday's New Hampshire primary, as New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie and other candidates launched an aggressive campaign to slow the Florida senator's rise.
Rubio's responded with an uneven performance on Saturday night that could hurt his bid to emerge as an alternative to Donald Trump and Texas Sen. Ted Cruz. If anything, his showing gave new hope to Christie, Jeb Bush and Ohio Gov. John Kasich, all of whom need strong finishes in New Hampshire to keep their White House bids afloat.
MANCHESTER, N.H. (AP) — Marco Rubio, a first-term senator on the rise in the presidential race, faced a barrage of attacks in Saturday night's Republican debate, with rivals vigorously challenging his readiness to be president as they sought to salvage their own White House hopes, while Donald Trump dodged the limelight and dismissed boos from the audience as evidence of bias.
Sen. Ted Cruz, fresh off his victory in the Iowa caucuses, also came under withering criticism for controversial political tactics, with one candidate disparaging him for having "Washington ethics" and being willing to test the campaign's legal limits.
