Unruh Institute hosts GOP debate watch
Students gathered on Wednesday afternoon in Doheny Memorial Library to watch the third Republican presidential debate.
The event was hosted by the Jesse M. Unruh Institute of Politics and the Political Student Assembly, which have hosted the previous Republican and Democratic debates.
Prior to the debate, Dan Schnur, director of the Unruh Institute, moderated a panel featuring Carmen H. and Louis Warschaw Chair in Practical Politics and professor of the practice of political science Bob Shrum and Fox News political analyst Doug Schoen.
The debate which was hosted by CNBC, focused on the economy and fiscal matters and featured candidates U.S. Sen. Rand Paul of Kentucky, Ohio Gov. John Kasich, former Florida Gov. Jeb Bush, Sen. Ted Cruz of Texas, Sen. Marco Rubio of Florida, New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie, former neurosurgeon Ben Carson, former Hewlett-Packard CEO Carly Fiorina, businessman Donald Trump and former Arkansas Gov. Mike Huckabee.
The panelists discussed their predictions for the third debate.
“The fury in the Republican Party comes from the sense that government isn’t working,” Schoen said. “If you look at the CBS-New York Times poll that was released yesterday, you will see that the Republican electorate feels this anger that is so palpable towards Washington and Congressional leadership.”
Shrum noted how the party has not united behind a candidate.
“Here’s a provocative thought — this might be the first time in a long time we’ll see something of a stalemate in the Republican Party,” Shrum said.
Prior to the debate, Shrum said the focus of the night might be on Carson and Trump.
“What happens with Carson and Trump tonight, that’s the whole ball game,” he said.
Schoen agreed but warned that though these candidates are currently in the spotlight, they are far from safe.
“There is a supposition that maybe Trump, Carson and Fiorina, who make up around 50 percent of the primaries vote might fade away, and maybe they will,” he said.
During the breaks, Schnur moderated a student panel featuring Daily Trojan news editor Anshu Siripurapu and USC College Republicans Vice President Leesa Danzek.
Candidate attacks were flying across the auditorium at the University of Colorado Boulder, where the debate was hosted, but more so between the candidates and moderators than between the candidates themselves, Siripurapu said.
“If I were to publish a story about this debate, the headline would be, ‘Candidates spar with moderators at Republican debate,’” he said. “In this debate, there has been less fighting between candidates and more direct [engagement with] the moderators.”
Danzek said Rubio had a strong performance in the debate.
“If I had to pick a headline, it would be ‘Rubio Rises,’” Danzek said. “Among [Republican] millennials, Marco Rubio is an outstanding candidate. I think that he handled himself well tonight, and he [will jump] in the polls.”