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Thursday, November 12, 2026Nov 12

Cooper: GOP debate finally all business

Republican presidential candidates, from left, John Kasich, Jeb Bush, Marco Rubio, Donald Trump, Ben Carson, Ted Cruz, Carly Fiorina and Rand Paul took part in the Fox Business Network debate on Tuesday.
Republican presidential candidates, from left, John Kasich, Jeb Bush, Marco Rubio, Donald Trump, Ben Carson, Ted Cruz, Carly Fiorina and Rand Paul took part in the Fox Business Network debate on Tuesday. Republican presidential candidates, from left, John Kasich, Jeb Bush, Marco Rubio, Donald Trump, Ben Carson, Ted Cruz, Carly Fiorina and Rand Paul took part in the Fox Business Network debate on Tuesday.

Although 2016 Republican presidential candidates must continue to differentiate themselves from their rivals on the road and in various debates, Democratic front-runner Hillary Clinton should be their main target.

And, despite mainstream reporting to the contrary, she was that target for the most part in Tuesday’s Fox Business Network debate among the top eight GOP candidates.

The debate, and its undercard of four lower-tier candidates, was perhaps the most substantive of the party’s four such clashes to date. Whether it will change the polling remains to be seen, but the format’s emphasis on the economy offered a more nuanced look at the candidates.

Here’s one view of where the evening left the candidates: