WASHINGTON (AP) – The nine leading Republican candidates for president are meeting for their first debate in more than a month in the shadow of terrorist attacks that refocused the race on keeping the country safe.
Donald Trump remains the front-runner just seven weeks before the first votes are cast in Iowa, but much has changed. Islamic militants or those inspired by them are believed to have been behind the killings of scores of people in Paris; San Bernardino, California; and Mali, raising the prominence of national security expertise in a race that had made stars of outsider candidates. Expect Trump’s proposal to ban Muslims from entering the U.S. to take center stage with him.
And look for a new top challenger to vie for attention. Ted Cruz, the Texas senator who has for months refused to criticize the former reality show star or his supporters, is posing a stiff challenge to Trump in Iowa on a similar anti-establishment platform.
Another likely change: volume. Listen for New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie, returning to the prime-time debate stage after being banished to the “undercard” debate last time, to try to shore up his place in the top tier.
For everyone else, the debate is a chance to stay in the conversation.