I was hoping that Cruz or Walker would do better but Cruz can’t seem to get any traction and Walker doesn’t seem to have much charisma.
I wish CNN had split the candidates up evenly during the debates. It should have been eight candidates in the preliminary debate and seven in the later debate.
Cruz and Walker were seen as contenders before Trump hit the stage, so maybe they’re trying to wait for the field to thin a bit more. Perry is already out. There may be some others before October is over.
Cruz I can see playing a waiting game. He has a Senate seat and lots of opportunities to be in front of a national camera on Senate business. Walker I don’t think can afford that. I could see Dems in Wisconsin stirring trouble, compelling him to make stops at home to settle things there.
I was just thinking that Walker is not in a “fight for his life” in the way he was in Wisconsin. His kind of resolve may not be the fiery kind. But he does need to connect with the base of Republicans nation-wide in some way to show he has the stuff to deal with Dems on a national level, too.
Generally, I don’t trust the debates to objectively present the candidates. They’re more like game shows or Survivor than genuine debates. I think they’re good ways for candidates to make impressions on people, score points on one another, or unnecessarily stumble, but that’s about it.
Cruz was on fire, however briefly and made excellent points.
Perhaps his star will rise a bit, now.