With the 2016 presidential election rapidly approaching, the time has come to watch the candidates fight it out in the debates. On September 16th, the second round of debates kicked off and the country watched as eleven of the Republican candidates took the stage, including Chris Christie, Marco Rubio, Ben Carson, Scott Walker, Donald Trump, Jeb Bush, Ted Cruz, Carly Fiorina, Mike Huckabee, John Kasich, and Rand Paul. Because there are so many candidates running, there was also an “undercard” Republican debate which showcased Bobby Jindal, Lindsey Graham, Rick Santorum, and George Pataki. The debate covered a wide range of topics from immigration and the nuclear deal with Iran to same-sex marriage and federal funding of Planned Parenthood. However, no matter the discussion at hand, those vying for the presidency did whatever they could to win themselves some votes.
Due to her recent rise in the polls, Carly Fiorina was the only candidate to have risen out of the undercard debate and into prime time.The former CEO is also widely reported to have “won” the debate as she was able to refute accusatory statements thrown at her by Donald Trump and make some digs of her own. As expected, Trump was the center of most of the debate’s controversy, going on both the defensive and offensive to address his fellow candidates. As the New York Times reported, he was called “sophomoric” by Senator Rand Paul, “an entertainer” by Carly Fiorina, and “an apprentice” by Wisconsin governor Scott Walker. Jeb Bush, former governor of Florida and one of Trump’s favorite targets, also issued attacks, claiming that Trump would act out of his own economic interests as president. All of these, of course, issued sassy retorts from the billionaire as he told Bush “[George Bush’s] administration gave us Barack Obama because it was such a disaster.”
While the other candidates may have been a little less dramatic, they still did their best to sell themselves to the American public. Retired neurosurgeon Ben Carson pushed his unconventional agenda, lamenting modern politics in an attempt to connect with frustrated voters. Senator Marco Rubio reached out to Hispanic voters, talking about the importance of speaking Spanish in his family. Chris Christie placed an emphasis on national security as he shared his personal experience of almost losing his wife in the September 11th attacks. Senator Ted Cruz and Ohio governor John Kasich also focused on foreign affairs as they debated over Iran. Additionally, Kasich managed to single himself out as more of a centrist Republican, compared to the right wing candidates around him, as he stressed cooperation and warned fellow Republicans of the drawbacks of a government shutdown.
From Washington D.C. to Sacramento, California, election buzz has also landed here at McClatchy. This year’s Republican debate has seemed to have made an impact, especially to the class of 2016, as most of the students will be of voting age by the time primaries and generals roll around. Some even got the chance to complete their voting registration in advance on Friday, September 25th, during a mock election. Teachers have also been getting caught up in the excitement, including Ellen Wong, who assigned watching the debate as homework to her government students. Whether it be the drama of the campaign or pure democratic passion, it seems as though no one can get enough of the 2016 presidential race.
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