--- title: Republican Debate: GOP Ready for New Hampshire description: Republican presidential candidates will face off in New Hampshire Saturday night in the most pivotal contest yet. canonical: https://time.com/4210586/republican-debate-new-hampshire-eighth/ author: Zeke Miller article:opinion: false article:content_tier: free article:published_time: 2016-02-06T11:00:44.000Z article:modified_time: 2026-05-11T05:00:27.275Z article:section: Politics og:title: Republicans Ready for Eighth Debate og:description: Just hours before polls close in New Hampshire. og:url: https://time.com/4210586/republican-debate-new-hampshire-eighth/ og:site_name: TIME og:image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt9aa8af9a90a48c23/69887c7ebc6cfce6413dba0d/timepol-gop-republican-debate-new-hampshire-12.jpg?branch=production&width=3840&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 og:image:width: 1200 og:image:height: 675 og:image:alt: Republican Candidates Debate In New Hampshire Days Before State's Primary og:type: article twitter:card: summary_large_image twitter:title: Republicans Ready for Eighth Debate twitter:description: Just hours before polls close in New Hampshire. twitter:image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt9aa8af9a90a48c23/69887c7ebc6cfce6413dba0d/timepol-gop-republican-debate-new-hampshire-12.jpg?branch=production&width=3840&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 ---  # Republicans Ready for Eighth Debate ## Video: Watch Donald Trump Lose [Watch (HLS stream): Watch Donald Trump Lose](https://cdn.jwplayer.com/manifests/yI3kIumt.m3u8) (1:28)  _Published 2016-02-02. What It’s Like for Donald Trump to Lose Iowa_ by [Zeke Miller](https://time.com/author/zeke-j-miller/) ## Zeke Miller Feb 6, 2016 11:00 AM UTC  Republican presidential candidates Jeb Bush, Sen. Marco Rubio (r-FL) and Donald Trump participate in a Republican presidential debate on Feb. 6, 2016 at Saint Anselm College in Manchester, N.H. Republican presidential candidates Jeb Bush, Sen. Marco Rubio (r-FL) and Donald Trump participate in a Republican presidential debate on Feb. 6, 2016 at Saint Anselm College in Manchester, N.H.Joe Raedle—Getty Images by [Zeke Miller](https://time.com/author/zeke-j-miller/) ## Zeke Miller Feb 6, 2016 11:00 AM UTC Republican presidential candidates will face off in New Hampshire Saturday night in the most pivotal contest yet, just 72 hours before polls close in New Hampshire. The current state of play is fluid, as the race in the Granite state is wide open, with about 40 percent of voters are undecided, with a further two dozen open to shifting their vote. The debate is the final opportunity for most candidates to make their closing pitch to voters, and get their final digs in before voting begins. Reducing their workloads, Candidates and their aides have been furiously preparing for the event, moderated by ABC’s David Muir and Martha Raddatz, hoping to seize the moment — or at least avoid a an embarrassment. Here are the key things to watch for: **Can Donald Trump regain his mojo?** The winner became the loser in Iowa. The national and [Granite State poll leader](http://time.com/4208870/donald-trump-brags/) skipped the last GOP debate before the Iowa caucuses—a move that contributed to his defeat. Back on stage, he must fight to maintain his lead in the state from the pair of surging senators. Trump, who cancelled an event Friday because of snow and faces doubts about his field operation, is betting that his celebrity and bombast can keep him in the good graces of New Hampshire voters. The question is can he deliver? **Who goes after Rubio—and how hard?** After a third-place finish in Iowa that beat Rubio’s carefully-managed expectations, the Florida Senator is struggling to contain talk that he could finish second, or even first in the state. Rubio [has been facing a combined assault](http://time.com/4207613/marco-rubio-prospered-by-lying-low-can-it-last/) from former Florida Gov. Jeb Bush and New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie, not to mention Texas Sen. Ted Cruz. The governors have been criticizing him for lacing accomplishments and relevant experience for the job, while Cruz is hitting him for being insufficiently conservative. It remains to be seen whether Trump will join the fight against the rival who has the potential to leapfrog him in the state. **Will the governors get sidelined?** There is only room for one—and none may get the chance. The three governors are in [a fight for their political lives](http://time.com/4203846/new-hampshire-primary-preview/) in New Hampshire, with only the top finisher earning a potential look in South Carolina as the race narrows. But all three could get left behind if they fail they slide to a muddled finish and Rubio soars. Christie, Bush and Kasich are burdened with the need to offer contrast between themselves and the senators and Trump, while also offering a positive message that can win over undecided supporters. **Who wins the Cruz-Carson argument?** The release of audio of aides to Ted Cruz campaign telling caucus leaders to falsely inform participants that Ben Carson was quitting the race has put the Iowa winner on the defensive. Carson, who has seen his support deteriorate in polls, now has the opportunity for retribution by [attacking the efforts Cruz’s campaign orchestrated](http://time.com/4206965/ben-carson-ted-cruz-fight-iowa/). Even a small pull on evangelical supporters could make the difference between victory and a middling finish for Cruz in New Hampshire, depriving him of potential momentum in South Carolina. **What happens to the missing candidate?** The GOP field’s only woman, former Hewlett Packard CEO Carly Fiorina, is being kept off the stage for [failing to meet the debate eligibility criteria](http://time.com/4208621/republican-debate-carly-fiorina-excluded/) set by ABC. Watch for how the other candidates seek to appeal to her supporters by criticizing the decision to leave her out of the debate. ### Political Photographs of the Week  Hillary Clinton campaigns at Winnacunnet High School in Hampton, N.H. on Feb. 3, 2016. James Nachtwey for TIME  Republican presidential candidate, Marco Rubio, appeared at a GOP caucus location with his family on Feb. 1, 2016, in Clive, Iowa. Natalie Keyssar for TIME  Charlee Dotson, 3, plays with a Donald Trump action figure before a campaign event for Trump in Cedar Rapids, Iowa, on Feb. 1, 2016. Damon Winter—The New York Times/Redux  Democratic presidential candidate Sen. Bernie Sanders, I-Vt., watches caucus returns in his hotel room, on Feb. 1, 2016 in Des Moines, Iowa. Evan Vucci—AP  Supporters react during a caucus night party for Democratic presidential candidate, Vermont Sen. Bernie Sanders in Des Moines, Iowa on Feb. 1, 2016. Danny Wilcox Frazier—VII  David Evers, a supporter of Democratic presidential candidate Hillary Clinton, attends her caucus night rally in Des Moines, Iowa on Feb. 1, 2016. Adrees Latif—Reuters  Republican presidential candidate Sen. Marco Rubio (R-Fla.) speaks at a campaign event in Burlington, Iowa, on Jan. 29, 2016. Sam Hodgson—The New York Times/Redux  Dominick Rubio, 7, joins his father Republican presidential candidate Sen. Marco Rubio (R-FL) on stage during a campaign town hall event at Mary A. Fisk Elementary School Cafeteria Feb. 4, 2016 in Salem, N.H. Chip Somodevilla—Getty Images  Supporters wait to greet Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump during a campaign event in Council Bluffs, Iowa, on Jan. 31, 2016. Damon Winter—The New York Times/Redux  Janet Huckabee, left, attends a campaign event for her husband, Gov. Mike Huckabee at the Crossroads shooting range in Johnston, Iowa on Jan. 30, 2016. Natalie Keyssar for TIME  A crowd watches from an overflow room before Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump speaks at a campaign event at the Hampshire Hills Athletic Club in Milford, N.H., on Feb. 2, 2016. Damon Winter—The New York Times/Redux  Ted Cruz greets supporters at a rally in Des Moines, Iowa on Jan. 31, 2016. Natalie Keyssar for TIME  Democratic presidential candidates former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton and U.S. Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-VT) appear at a Democratic debate at the University of New Hampshire on Feb. 4, 2016 in Durham, N.H. Nate Gowdy for TIME ```json [{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"NewsArticle","@id":"https://time.com/4210586/republican-debate-new-hampshire-eighth/","mainEntityOfPage":{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https://time.com/4210586/republican-debate-new-hampshire-eighth/"},"headline":"Republicans Ready for Eighth Debate","datePublished":"2016-02-06T11:00:44.000Z","dateModified":"2026-05-11T05:00:27.275Z","description":"In New Hampshire","url":"https://time.com/4210586/republican-debate-new-hampshire-eighth/","keywords":["Debates","2016 Election topic","Sen. Marco Rubio","ted cruz","jeb bush","new hampshire","Donald Trump","john kasich","Dr. Benjamin S. 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