Republican candidates to battle it out in new debate
Workers set the staged for the CNBC Republican presidential debate at the University of Colorado on October 27, 2015 in Boulder, Colorado. Republican White House frontrunner Donald Trump and nine other 2016 hopefuls will battle it out Wednesday in their third nationally televised primary debate, as rivals seek a political opening against the caustic billionaire. PHOTO | AFP
What you need to know:
- As establishment-leaning candidates struggle to make headway against strong populist currents in their party, outsider Ben Carson has been nipping at Trump’s heels in the polls.
- Mr Carson, a retired neurosurgeon and the only African-American in the race, edged ahead of Trump in a new national New York Times/CBS News survey released Tuesday.
WASHINGTON, Wednesday
Republican White House frontrunner Donald Trump and nine other 2016 hopefuls do battle Wednesday in their third nationally televised primary debate, as rivals seek a political opening against the caustic billionaire.
Millions of Americans were expected to watch the debate, which was to take place at an arena at the University of Colorado in Boulder, as the field moves toward the first statewide votes in the primary process next February.
As establishment-leaning candidates struggle to make headway against strong populist currents in their party, outsider Ben Carson has been nipping at Trump’s heels in the polls.
Mr Carson, a retired neurosurgeon and the only African-American in the race, edged ahead of Trump in a new national New York Times/CBS News survey released Tuesday.
It marked the latest sign of slippage for the real estate tycoon, and a portent of potential fireworks Wednesday as the hyper-competitive Trump will seek to restore the old order with him securely atop the Republican pyramid.
TRUMP JIBES
He could come out swinging against his rivals, particularly Carson whom he has criticized in recent days as a low-energy candidate. Trump joked at a rally that Carson did not realize he had surged in the polls because he was too busy “sleeping.”
And he retweeted a post saying that “Gentle Ben is no match for (Russian President Vladimir) Putin or if the truth be told even for Hillary” Clinton, the presumptive Democratic nominee.
Meanwhile, former world heavyweight boxing champion Mike Tyson has stepped into the political ring, firmly backing Donald Trump in the billionaire tycoon’s bid for the White House in 2016.
Tyson issued his endorsement late Monday on HuffPost Live, saying he would like to see a business-minded commander in chief after eight years of President Barack Obama.
“He should be president of the United States, that’s what he should be,” Tyson said when asked his opinion of Trump.
“Let’s try something new. Let’s run America like a business, where no colours matter,” he added. “Whoever can do the job, gets the job.”
The two celebrity figures have known each other for decades. Trump hosted the title bout — all 91 seconds of it — between a victorious Mike Tyson and Michael Spinks in Atlantic City in 1988.
