The next Republican presidential debate will be held on Tuesday, December 15, 2015, at 8:30 PM EST. The GOP presidential candidates will convene in Las Vegas for their last debate of the year that is hosted by CNN. Voters still deciding on who to choose for the upcoming election can tune in through free online streaming aired on CNN's website.
Nine Republican candidates will join the debate on the primetime stage: Donald Trump, Ted Cruz, Marco Rubio, Ben Carson, Jeb Bush, Chris Christie, Joh Kasich, Carly Fiorina, and Rand Paul.
There will also be an earlier undercard debate, participated in by candidates who are ranking well. This will feature four candidates, Mike Huckabee, Lindsey Graham, Rick Santorum, and George Pataki. This will take place at 6 PM EST.
For those with a cable subscription, watching the broadcast on CNN will be the most logical option. However, for those without a subscription, online streaming is also available. CNN is going to live stream the debate, both in their website and in mobile apps.
Just after a month after the last GOP Presidential debate, a lot has changed already. Each candidate's standing in the polls since last month's debate has changed dramatically. With last month's Paris attacks, the election atmosphere quickly changed. In particular, foreign policy and national security issues quickly dominate the political scene. Candidates were quick to give their opinions and recommendations on what should be done to protect the country from terror acts and atrocities and based on their responses, their rankings have changed.
According to NPR, Ted Cruz has surged up quite fast in a month's time. Donald Trump's numbers also changed. Once seen as some nuisance candidate, his anti-Muslim rhetoric both helped and negatively affected him. Some believe that he was too politically incorrect and heartless. On the other hand, different polls showed his strong views and assertions earned him the respect from Republican primary voters, who believe that it is high time the country is led by someone who is straightforward and firm. One of such polls was prepared by Washington Post.
NPR added there was a lot to be expected from the debate. The site predicted that if not careful, Trump can fade from the debate and be upstaged, because he can be out of his depth on foreign policy issues and other national concerns. The site also predicted Cruz can come out strong from the debate, as long as he does not let Trump's insults stick. Once he allowed himself to be provoked by Trump's condescending comments, he might overly defend his qualifications to be president and be insecure.
NPR also claimed that for the past month, the top contender Ben Carson saw his number dropped significantly. Even though he spent the past month trying to show his concern for the international community, such as visiting Syrian refugees, it is expected that the neurosurgeon would be uncomfortable talking foreign policies. Naturally, he can surprise viewers.
