COMPLETE DEBATE COVERAGE
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DEBATE HIGHLIGHTS FROM MAIN DEBATE
Here are some of the highlights from Thursday’s Republican debate:
Trump: ‘We don’t have time for tone’
Billionaire Donald Trump isn’t bothering making his bellicose manner more polite, even if former Florida Gov. Jeb Bush doesn’t like his tone.
“We don’t have time for tone,” Trump said Thursday at the GOP debate, referencing Islamic militants beheading Christians. “We’ve got to get out and get the job done.”
Trump is atop the polls but has been criticized by Bush for being too negative and angry.
Bush was widely viewed as the front-runner before Trump’s rise. Bush said the nominee needs to be positive and not divide the country like President Barack Obama and Hillary Clinton do.
Kasich gets applause over gay marriage issue
Ohio Gov. John Kasich received a rousing round of applause during Thursday’s first presidential debate when he said he can disagree with someone on same-sex marriage and still love them.
Asked how he would explain his opposition to gay marriage to a child who announced he or she was gay or lesbian, the presidential contender said: “I’m going to love my daughters no matter what they do. Because you know what? God gives me unconditional love, and I’m going to give it to my family and my friends and the people around me.”
Kasich said he believes marriage is between a man and a woman but he urged his state’s residents to respect the U.S. Supreme Court ruling that made same-sex marriage a nationwide right. The lead plaintiff in the landmark case was an Ohioan. Shortly after the ruling, Kasich attended a gay wedding.
Earlier Thursday in Cleveland, plaintiff Jim Obergefell urged candidates in the first presidential debate to validate the decision.
Kasich said he wants to unite people and “issues like that are planted to divide us.”
Bush gets some boos over Common Core
Florida Gov. Jeb Bush heard boos at Thursday’s Republican presidential debate when the moderator said he is the lone candidate on stage who supports education standards known as Common Core.
Bush says he believes education should be a state responsibility and says education standards should be higher. If states don’t want to take part in the Common Core standards, he says that’s fine.
“I don’t believe the federal government should be involved in the creation of standards directly or indirectly,” he says.
But the former Florida governor is strongly defending the idea of standards created at the state level.
Bush says: “If we are going to compete in this world we’re in today, there’s no possible way we can do it with lowering expectations and dumbing down everything. Children are going to suffer and families’ hearts are going to be broken that their kids won’t be able to get a job in the 21st century.”
Bush says that as governor he created the first statewide school voucher program in the country, emphasizing that he fought teachers’ unions to do so. He says students and parents should have “real school choice.”
Kasich on taking on Hillary
Ohio Gov. John Kasich says the winning presidential Republican nominee must take a broad, pro-growth stance if the party wants to beat Democrat Hillary Clinton. But he says economic prosperity is meant to be shared with the less fortunate.
Asked during Thursday’s first presidential debate on Fox News, Kasich was asked how to answer Democratic criticism that Republicans favor the wealthy and do too little for the poor.
“Economic growth is the key to everything, but once you have economic growth you have to reach out to the people in the shadows,” the former congressman said.
Describing himself as the son of a mailman, Kasich predicted Clinton would take a narrow line of arguments against the GOP and said Republicans’ vision should be expansive.
“Restore the sense that the miracle will apply to you,” he said. “Lift everybody. Unite everybody. And build a strong United States of America again.”
Christie and Paul trade words over terrorism privacy issues
New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie and Kentucky Sen. Rand Paul fundamentally disagree about the collection of telephone records. But the policy difference about constitutional rights versus national security is turning personal.
Christie, a former U.S. attorney, says: “I’m the only person on this stage who’s actually filed applications under the Patriot Act. … This is not theoretical to me. I went to the funerals.”
Paul blasted back, “You fundamentally misunderstand the Bill of Rights.” He shouted across the stage to Christie: “Use the Fourth Amendment! Get a warrant! Get a judge to sign a warrant!”
Christie slammed Paul’s Senate filibuster, saying, “When you’re sitting in a subcommittee blowing hot air about this you can say things about that.” (AP)
Huckabee wants to go beyond defunding Planned Parenthood
Former Arkansas Gov. Mike Huckabee says defunding Planned Parenthood is only one strategy for addressing revelations contained in recently released videos.
Huckabee proposed during Thursday’s debate he would like to see the Constitution adjusted to protect the rights of unborn children.
“It’s time we admit the Supreme Court is not the supreme being,” he said.
An anti-abortion group released several secretly shot videos with Planned Parenthood executives describing how the organization provides fetal tissue to medical researchers and discussing different procedures and prices.
Planned Parenthood executives have denied claims that the transactions were sales and said any donations are legal and ethical. The law allows abortion providers to be paid for processing fees but not to profit from fetal tissue. (Ap)
Donald Trump asked about comments about women
Donald Trump is making no apologies for his past crude comments about women.
At the first GOP presidential debate Fox news host Megyn Kelly sharply questioned how Trump has described women in the past, criticizing their bodies and making sexually suggestive statements on his television show.
Trump tried to joke initially, saying the statements were only about liberal actor Rosie O'Donnell. But he said testily that he didn't have time for "total political correctness."
Staying combative, he said that if Kelly didn’t like it, “I’m sorry.” He added that he’s always said nice things about her, but he threatened to be less kind to her in retaliation.
“I’ve been challenged by so many people and I don’t frankly have time for total political correctness,” he said. “This country is in big trouble. We don’t win anymore.” (AP)
Rubio says executive experience not a requirement
Marco Rubio says executive experience is not a requirement for president.
The remark came in response to a question about kind comments Rubio had made about in-state rival Jeb Bush’s record as governor.
“I would add to that this election cannot be a resume competition,” Rubio retorted sharply. “This election better be about the future, not the past.”
Rubio’s reply is not just a jab at Bush, but also against Democratic favorite Hillary Clinton.
Rubio said if the election is a competition between people with government experience then Clinton, a former senator and former secretary of state, would win in 2016.
Rubio remarked that he was raised in a working class home in Miami.
“How is Hillary Clinton going to lecture me on living paycheck to paycheck? I was raised to paycheck to paycheck.”
Donald Trump won’t promise to back GOP nominee
First question out to all candidates: Will you back GOP nominee if it's not you. Donald Trump only one to answer no.
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DEBATE HIGHLIGHTS FROM FIRST DEBATE
Instead of going after one another, the candidates in the pre-debate event focused who wasn’t there: Donald Trump, Jeb Bush and, of course, Hillary Rodham Clinton.
Trump, the billionaire real estate developer and former star of reality TV, took shots early from Texas Gov. Rick Perry and former Hewlett-Packer CEO Carly Fiorina. They both questioned his conservative credentials, pointing to his past support for universal health care and abortion rights.
He is the party’s frontrunner right now, and good for him,” Fiorina said, adding later: “Since he has changed his mind on amnesty, on health care and on abortion, I would just ask, what are the principles by which he will govern?”
Louisiana Gov. Bobby Jindal went after Bush by name, rejecting the idea that — as the former Florida governor has suggested — Republicans need to be willing to lose the primary to win the general election. “Let me translate that for you,” Jindal said. “That’s the establishment telling us to hide our conservative principles to get the left and the media to like us. That never works.”
As for Clinton, the former secretary of state and Democratic frontrunner? South Carolina Sen. Lindsey Graham, “To the people who are dying for a better America, you better change course, and she doesn’t represent the change that we need.” (Jill Colvin and Thomas Beaumont, Associated Press)
Here's some of the debate with the first seven GOP presidential candidates who debated today at 5 p.m. The main debate is set to start tonight at 9. LISTEN LIVE AT WHIO.COM
* Rick Perry says if elected president the Iran deal goes first. "Iran negotiation is going to be torn up on day one."
* Rick Santorum: Says on first day of presidency he would "institute an executive order to make sure that people of faith are not being — not being harassed and persecuted by the federal government for standing up for the religious beliefs."
* Carly Fiorina: "I am a conservative because I believe no one of us is any better than any other one of us. Every one of us is gifted by God, whether it is those poor babies being picked over or it's someone whose life is tangled up in a web of dependence."
* Bobby Jindal says he'd launch and investigation of Planned Parenthood.
* Rick Santorum says recent gay marriage rulling "is a rogue Supreme Court decision."
* Rick Perry says the first nice thing about a fellow candidate: "I'd rather have Carly Fiorina" negotiating the Iran deal than John Kerry.
* Rick Perry: We need to have coalition in Middle East to go after ISIS, need to send a clear message.
* Bobby Jindal asked if Ohio Gov. John Kasich was wrong to expand Medicaid under Obamacare. Bobby Jindal says "it's a mistake to expand Medicaid."
* Lindsey Graham: "Americans who want a better life, don't vote for Hillary Clinton. You're not going to get it." on fighting ISIS he said: "If I have to monitor a mosque, I'll monitor a mosque."
* Rick Perry wants president who goes to office each day with the intent of securing border.
* George Pataki says to fight ISIS "We have to destroy training camps and recruiting centers."
* Lindsey Graham on fighting ISIS: "If we don't stop them over there, they are coming here."
* Carly Fiorina takes on Donald Trump relationship with the Clintons. "I didn't get a call from Bill Clinton."
* Rick Perry says America needs a president who doesn't just talk a big game, but delivers real results
* Rick Santorum: "Americans are tired of Washington corporate interests"
* Carley Fiorina, the former president of Hewlett-Packard, says she knows more world leaders than anyone else on the stage.
5 p.m.: First debate starts with 7 Republican candidates lowest in the polls - Rick Perry, Rick Santorum, Bobby Jindal, Carly Fiorina, Jim Gilmore, George Pataki and Lindsey Graham.