CLEVELAND (AP) — The Republican bid to reclaim the White House begins in earnest Thursday with the first debate of the 2016 campaign, a 10-candidate face-off for leadership of a party grappling with internal divisions and a changing American electorate.
Taking center stage for the prime-time debate in Cleveland was Donald Trump, the billionaire businessman whose summer surge has upended the Republican field. With an unpredictable style and unformed policy positions, Trump is a perplexing foe for his GOP rivals.
Joining Trump on stage was a field of seasoned governors, rookie senators and a never-been-elected outsider.
As in the 2012 Republican primaries, the GOP faces a tug of war between those eager for a candidate with broad general election appeal and those who think the key to winning is nominating a fiery conservative.
"You're starting off with a lot of candidates who have an initial group of support that reflects a particular element of the party, but nobody is close at this point to putting together a majority coalition," said David Winston, a Republican pollster.
While 17 Republicans are seeking the party's nomination, only 10 were invited by debate host Fox News to participate in the main event. The remaining seven were relegated to a pre-debate forum four hours earlier.
Former Texas Gov. Rick Perry and businesswoman Carly Fiorina opened the early event with biting criticisms of Trump.
Perry — whose failed 2012 White House campaign was damaged by an embarrassing debate stumble — accused Trump of using "his celebrity rather than his conservatism" to fuel his run for president.
Fiorina, the only woman in the GOP field, said that Trump had tapped into Americans' anger with Washington, but she challenged the businessman as lacking policy positions. "What are the principles by which he would govern?" she asked.
2015 The Associated Press
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