--- title: How Christie and Huckabee Will Work Around Debate Diss description: The two struggling-in-the-polls White House hopefuls instead are sent to undercard debate stage with Fox Business in Milwaukee. canonical: https://time.com/4103171/republican-debate-chris-christie-mike-huckabee-response/ author: Philip Elliott article:opinion: false article:content_tier: free article:published_time: 2015-11-06T20:28:52.000Z article:modified_time: 2026-10-05T08:39:48.608Z article:section: Politics og:title: How Christie and Huckabee Will Work Around Debate Diss og:description: By talking to voters directly. og:url: https://time.com/4103171/republican-debate-chris-christie-mike-huckabee-response/ og:site_name: TIME og:image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/bltf2e25dec254d3541/69886ff6bc6cfcce2a3da449/chris-christie-mike-huckabee-debate.jpg?branch=production&width=594&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 og:image:width: 594 og:image:height: 334 og:image:alt: The Republican Presidential Debate: Your Money, Your Vote -- Pictured: (l-r) John Kasich, Mike Huckabee, Jeb Bush, Marco Rubio, Donald Trump, Ben Carson, Carly Fiorina, Ted Cruz, Chris Christie, and Rand Paul participate in CNBC's "Your Money, Your Vote: og:type: article twitter:card: summary_large_image twitter:title: How Christie and Huckabee Will Work Around Debate Diss twitter:description: By talking to voters directly. twitter:image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/bltf2e25dec254d3541/69886ff6bc6cfcce2a3da449/chris-christie-mike-huckabee-debate.jpg?branch=production&width=594&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 ---  # How Christie and Huckabee Will Work Around Debate Diss > Sponsored content. 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It explains the politics, personalities and power dynamics behind the headlines, twice a week. #### Where can I get analysis of Washington politics by email? D.C. Brief is TIME's free Washington politics newsletter, available at time.com/newsletters. It is written by a TIME senior correspondent who covers the capital full time. #### Who writes TIME's D.C. Brief? Philip Elliott, a senior correspondent at TIME, writes D.C. Brief. #### Is D.C. Brief free? Yes. D.C. Brief is free at time.com/newsletters. ### Sources * TIME Newsletters: [time.com/newsletters](/c/time-nl-dcbrief-2026q3/newsletters?i=8056b302-018b-4e80-ada7-a13670fb7892&cr=time-nl-dcbrief-2026q3-v1) ## Video: Watch The CNBC GOP Debate in Less Than 4 Minutes [Watch (HLS stream): Watch The CNBC GOP Debate in Less Than 4 Minutes](https://cdn.jwplayer.com/manifests/8UytvMpk.m3u8) (3:46)  _Published 2015-10-29. Watch The CNBC GOP Debate in Less Than 4 Minutes_  by [Philip Elliott](https://time.com/author/philip-elliott/)  ## Philip Elliott Senior Correspondent Nov 6, 2015 8:28 PM UTC  by [Philip Elliott](https://time.com/author/philip-elliott/)  ## Philip Elliott Senior Correspondent Nov 6, 2015 8:28 PM UTC New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie and former Arkansas Gov. Mike Huckabee have been booted from the main debate stage. They’re now ready to camp out where they have built up reserves of goodwill. For Christie, that means New Hampshire, where he has assembled a top-flight political operation and has made more than 100 campaign stops—more than anyone except South Carolina Sen. Lindsey Graham. For Huckabee, his base of operations is going to become Iowa, a state whose caucuses he won in 2008 and where he has made some 112 political stops this year. Lacking other options and trailing in the polls, this unlikely pair of candidates is hoping some of the traditional hand-to-hand campaigning will pay off. Neither campaign was pleased with the development, announced late Thursday from debate hosts Fox Business and Fox News. But, at the same time, neither was treating the news that they won’t face top-tier candidates next Tuesday in Milwaukee as though it were the end of the campaigns. After all, they’re already running slim operations on lean budgets. “I’m not a whiner or a complainer about rules. Rules are the rules. I can agree or disagree, it doesn’t matter,” Christie said in New Hampshire on Friday. Instead of facing nine rivals on the main debate stage, he was set to meet Huckabee and two familiar faces at undercard debates: Louisiana Gov. Bobby Jindal and former Sen. Rick Santorum of Pennsylvania. “I’m going to debate on a stage with only four people, rather than 10\. That’s going to be good for me.” Added Huckabee: “I’m happy to debate anyone, anywhere, anytime.” Huckabee, a former Fox employee, said voters—not the media—would decide who wins the GOP nomination. **Read More:** [_Christie, Huckabee Cut From Fox Business Debate Main Stage_](http://time.com/4102117/republican-debate-chris-christie-mike-huckabee/) Huckabee advisers argued that the talkative former Governor could have a bigger chance to make his case when he isn’t competing on a crowded stage. One also joked that being booted to the lower-tier debate was not going to hurt them among donors—Huckabee has never been one to have deep-pocketed supporters anyway. If anything, being kicked by the media could be used as a fund-raising tool. Christie and Huckabee have logged solid debate performances this campaign, yet neither used them to ride higher in the polls. Instead, they watched as their star power faded and the nomination seem to move further out-of-reach. Christie tried to remain upbeat on Friday as he campaigned hard through New Hampshire. “The only thing that matters right now, in a polling perspective, is Iowa and New Hampshire,” he said. “That’s all that matters because they’re the people who are seeing us, they’re the people who are really plugged into this process.” Indeed, Christie has been logging the miles in New Hampshire and in Iowa, where he is schedule to campaign on Wednesday right after the debate. His aides have put together a technically savvy campaign and he is slowly grinding out a political machine that advisers hope pay dividends when Iowa starts the nominating race on Feb. 1, 2016. “It’s one moment in a campaign and I can’t get myself all tied up in knots about it,” Christie told the Newark (N.J.) _Star Ledger_ between campaign stops. “I’m not worried about it.” **Read Next:** [_Chris Christie Highlights Glory Days at Campaign Launch_](http://time.com/3940903/chris-christie-campaign-launch-glory-days/) ## Transcript Live from the University of Colorado in Boulder, the Republican Presidential Debate. [ APPLAUSE ] My great concern is that we are on the verge, perhaps, of picking someone who cannot do this job. What is your biggest weakness and what are you doing to address it? Well, John, I don't really have any weaknesses that I can think of. [ LAUGH ] I trust people too much. Not really seeing myself in that position until hundreds of thousands of people began to tell me that I needed to do it. Well gee, after the last debate I was told that I didn't smile enough. [ LAUGH ] [ APPLAUSE ] But I'm not worried about my finances, I'm worried about the finances of everyday Americans. [ INAUDIBLE ] who today are struggling in an economy that is producing good paying jobs, while everything else costs more. Whose fault is it that Medicare's broke and out of money, that Social Security broke and out of money, and I say look, it's not Republicans' fault, it's not Democrats' fault, it's your grandparents' fault for having too many damn kids. Tell me what's different between the government and Bernie [ INAUDIBLE ] who sits in prison today for doing less than what the government has done to the people on social security and medicare in this country. Let's tell people the truth. For once let's do that and stop trying to give them some kind of fantasy that's never going to come true. When you signed up for this, this was a six year term. And you should be showing up to work. I mean literally, the Senate, what is it, like a French work week? You get like three days where you have to show up? I don't remember you ever complaining about John McCain's vote record. The only reason why you're doing it now is because we're running for the same position, and someone has convinced you that attacking me is gonna help you. Here's the bottom line. [ APPLAUSE ] My campaign- Would you feel more comfortable if your employees brought guns to work? Yes, I might feel more comfortable. I would say that I would, and I have a permit which is very unusual in New York, a permit to carry. And I do carry on occasion, sometimes a lot. But I like to be unpredictable, so people don't know exactly what you carry. [ LAUGH ] I love Donald Trump. Is a good man I'm wearing a Trump tie tonight. Get over that one. Okay? Wait a sec. Al. We're clearly not having that beer you mentioned. [ LAUGH ] But I'll give you thirty more seconds. But I'll buy you a tequila. Okay, alright. Or even some famous Colorado brownies. I'll give you thirty seconds to respond. Whoa. If somebody put me on their homepage, they did it without my permission. Does that not speak to your vetting process or judgment in any way? It speaks to the fact that I don't know that it's going on. We have 19 trillion dollars in debt, we have people out of work, we have ISIS and Al Qaeda attacking us, and we're talking about fantasy football? Can we stop? [ APPLAUSE ] I'm the only one on this stage that has a plan that would create jobs, cut taxes, balance the budget, and could get it done because I'm realistic. You just don't make promises like this. Why don't we just give a chicken in every pot? You find a Democrat that's for cutting taxes, cutting spending $ 10? I'll give him a warm kiss. I do not want to walk my five grandkids through the charred remains of the once great country called America and say here you go, $ 20 trillion worth of debt, good luck making something out of this mess. I want a government so small I can barely see it. I want a government so small that the individual has a chance to drive and prosper. I may not be your dream candidate just yet but I can assure you I am Hillary Clinton's worst nightmare and in your heart of hearts you cannot wait to see a debate between Hillary Clinton and Carly Fiorina. I will tell you this. 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