Saturday night’s Republican presidential debate, the only one before the South Carolina primary later this week, featured two main battles: former Florida governor Jeb Bush vs. Donald Trump, and US Senator Ted Cruz of Texas vs. US Senator Marco Rubio of Florida.
Governor John Kasich of Ohio and retired neurosurgeon Ben Carson were also on the stage, but largely on the sidelines, during the two-hour debate televised on CBS.
The exchanges that got the most attention were between Trump and Bush. Throughout the campaign, Trump’s supporters have stuck by him, no matter what. But even some South Carolina Republicans backing Trump had to pause at some of his debate lines.
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First, there was Trump’s attack on former President George W. Bush. Remember, there is a reason Jeb Bush’s super PAC features the former president talking about his brother in television ads, and there is a reason Jeb Bush invited his brother to campaign with him in Charleston on Monday. Among South Carolina Republicans, the former president is extremely popular.
Early in the debate, Trump railed against the former president for his decision to go to war in Iraq. Jeb Bush then countered that his brother had kept America safe after Sept. 11, 2001. Trump’s retort: The Sept. 11 terrorist attacks occurred on George W. Bush’s watch, and Trump lost “hundreds” of friends that day.
Second, Trump brought up the controversial issue of eminent domain — and defended it. There are parts of the Lowcountry in South Carolina that are very libertarian. Voters there would likely have lined up with US Senator Rand Paul of Kentucky, but he is no longer in the race. Bush probably isn’t their cup of tea, but the eminent domain exchange may have eliminated Trump from their consideration.
Third, there was Trump’s defense of Planned Parenthood. The percentage of self-identified evangelical voters is even higher in South Carolina than it is in Iowa. Although Trump was careful to say he was pro-life and disapproved of Planned Parenthood’s abortion services, he said the organization did a lot of good work on women’s health. This is a distinction that many in South Carolina don’t accept.
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Trump has been the subject of controversy during past debates, and it didn’t seem to hurt him. There was his dustup with Fox News host Megyn Kelly. There were his tussles with Bush and Paul and Cruz. There was the debate in Iowa he skipped entirely. The difference Saturday night was that he repeatedly offered words that could be used against him all next week.
After the debate Trump told reporters, “I thought it was my best debate.”
A week from now Trump may still win the South Carolina primary, but it won’t be because of that debate.
James Pindell can be reached at james.pindell@globe.com. Follow him on Twitter @jamespindell. Click here to subscribe to his daily e-mail update on the 2016 campaign.