At debate, GOP candidates try to tie themselves to Reagan

Republican presidential candidate, former Florida Gov. Jeb Bush, right, watches as Donald Trump speaks during the CNN Republican presidential debate at the Ronald Reagan Presidential Library and Museum on Wednesday, Sept. 16, 2015, in Simi Valley, Calif. (AP Photo/Mark J. Terrill) Republican presidential candidate, former Florida Gov. Jeb Bush, right, watches as Donald Trump speaks during the CNN Republican presidential debate at the Ronald Reagan Presidential Library and Museum on Wednesday, Sept. 16, 2015, in Simi Valley, Calif. (AP Photo/Mark J. Terrill)

By Associated Press September 17, 2015 4 min read

ATLANTA (AP) – Standing in Ronald Reagan’s presidential library, GOP White House hopeful Jeb Bush argued that the 40th president would agree with him, and not the front-running Donald Trump, on immigration.

New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie recalled casting his first vote for Reagan over Jimmy Carter in 1980, saying, “Boy, am I glad I did it.”

Kentucky Sen. Rand Paul recalled meeting Reagan as a teenager and thinking of him as a hero because he challenged Republican President Gerald Ford in the 1976 GOP primaries.

“It was a big deal because he was the grassroots, running against the establishment,” Paul said.

Those were just a few of the many mentions Reagan garnered Wednesday evening during in more than four hours of debate among 15 candidates who, in two sessions, who stood in the shadow of Reagan’s Air Force One at his presidential library in Southern California.