Summary
We’re going to wrap up our live blog coverage for the day. Thanks for joining us, see you for the Democratic debate on Sunday!
Huckabee brings trail talent
Mike Huckabee came close to winning the Republican nomination in 2008 and would might have won it if he had decided to run against Mitt Romney in 2012, writes Guardian political reporter Ben Jacobs:
This year, Huckabee has been an afterthought in the race.
But the former Arkansas governor still remains a formidable political talent, even if he has been relegated to second tier debates and ignored by voters for fresher faces. In a room at the College of Charleston on Friday, Huckabee displayed that ability as he managed simultaneously give important life advice to college students while slipping a shiv between Ted Cruz’s ribs.
In a room where young college students asking questions awkwardly addressed him as “Mr. Governor,” the former governor and television personality handled the crowd like a pro. Toning down some more partisan elements of his stump speech – when he talked about taking over as governor of his home state, he didn’t mention his battles with “the Clinton machine” – Huckabee instead came across as a kindly, albeit militantly pro-life, uncle.
His complaints about the media came across as life advice about how “nothing is off the record” and veiled shots at Ted Cruz instead was earnest guidance “to be who you are, to be authentic.” He urged the young attendees, most of whom were in middle school the last time he ran for president, “to become your own person politically” and “not to sell your soul to political party.”
Huckabee still hit plenty of conservative talking points. He said of radical Muslims, “their mission from God, to borrow from the Blues Brothers, is to destroy us.” But, for a candidate whose rhetoric has become increasingly partisan, this represented an intriguing change of pace. Instead of the Huckabee who jibed in November “Obama’s new domestic terrorism plan probably requires Americans to memorize Koran verses,” this was a kinder gentler one who said it was important for politicians to yield on some issues.
With the Iowa caucuses fast approaching, Huckabee is still a long shot but, after an unspectacular debate performance, he provides glimpses of the talent that helped him win the Hawkeye State once.
The Republican House leadership is holding a news conference ( live stream it’s over now) to advertise their intentions of leading the country off the wrong track and onto the right one.
It’s casual Friday on Capitol Hill:
If we don’t like the direction the country’s going—and we do not—then we have an obligation to offer an alternative https://t.co/TRLPXStyzb
— Paul Ryan (@SpeakerRyan) January 15, 2016
A time certain: @SpeakerRyan says they will have "a complete agenda by the time we have a nominee".
— Paul Kane (@pkcapitol) January 15, 2016
Updated
Trump concludes his Iowa town hall, after once again warning that refugees from Syria were possibly not actually refugees but a secret army. “Folks, I love you all,” Trump says:
Go out and caucus. And go with Trump. You’ll be very happy. I love you. I love you.
Trump is making fun of how much it cost to build the Obamacare web site.
He saids he has “kids” and they go “bing bing bing” and “they say Sir, here’s another website.”
I got websites, they’re pouring out of my ears. They cost nothing. $5bn for a web site that doesn’t work.
Trump: 'Hillary’s gonna have a problem'
Trump’s asked about the FBI investigation of Clinton’s use of personal email for state department business. “Hillary’s gonna have a problem,” Trump says.
Look, what she did is so wrong, what she did is so bad, I don’t see how she makes it.
“I would love to run against her. I just don’t know how she makes it into the starting gate.”
Here’s the scene at Trump’s event in Iowa.
The candidate just took a question about heroin addiction. “It’s a tough thing,” he said. Then he repeated the falsehood that he is self-financing his campaign, which in fact is taking donations. Now he says “we’ve got nothing in South Korea.”
We’re protecting Japan, we’re protecting Germany, we’re protecting all these countries – what the hell do we get out of it?
Trump taking questions after a very short, 15 minute stump. pic.twitter.com/sF1yA1I0m1
— Jose A. DelReal (@jdelreal) January 15, 2016
Updated
Trump is holding a town hall-style rally in Urbandale, Iowa. Live stream here:
Trump is also out with a new ad to be televised in Iowa and New Hampshire called “Our Country.” It’s a medley of campaign footage in which the candidate assures the crowd that “we are going to make America great again.”
It’s true, Ben Carson did use up some of his precious debate time last night – Carson’s speaking time was four minutes shorter than any other candidate – to decry a lack of civility in comments sections on the Internet.
“You go five comments down, and everybody is calling each other names,” Carson said.
Still laughing about Ben Carson taking time in a Presidential debate to warn us not to read the comments. Best moment of this whole cycle.
— Dan McLaughlin (@baseballcrank) January 15, 2016
But as we pointed out last night, that’s not how our comments section works. Maybe Carson should read the Guardian more. Thanks for keeping it real, people. Comment Is Free.
South Carolina senator and former presidential candidate Lindsey Graham endorsed former Florida governor Jeb Bush on Friday, reports Ben Jacobs from North Charleston:
The endorsement gives Bush a major boost in South Carolina, which holds the third contest in the Republican presidential nominating race, following Iowa and New Hampshire. The conservative state, which holds the “First in the South” primary, is an important bellwether in the GOP nominating process.
Graham, a political powerhouse in the Palmetto State, became the first former presidential candidate of the cycle to endorse an erstwhile rival.
The loquacious three-term senator will be able to bring his significant organizational resources in the state on behalf of Bush and help the former Florida governor consolidate his position in the so-called establishment lane in the state. No poll of South Carolina has been conducted in the past month, but in polls conducted in December, Donald Trump had a significant lead in the state.
In a press conference Friday morning, Graham touted Bush as a candidate “who stayed true to who he is and hasn’t tried to get ahead in a contested primary by demagoguery.” The South Carolina senator added that Bush “was the most conservative person who can win.”
While Bush praised Graham in return, calling him “a patriot” and the “strongest, policy oriented national defense senator,” he spent much of the event discussing another senator, Marco Rubio.
The former Florida governor slammed Rubio as a “cut and run” candidate because of his record on immigration reform. Bush said of the Gang of Eight immigration reform bill that Rubio played a major role in drafting, “He asked for my support. He cut and run. He cut and run on his colleagues as well.”
“This is about leadership more than the specific issue,” Bush said.
Graham, though, was more hesitant to criticize his Senate colleague. “I am not here to talk about Rubio’s commitment to immigration reform,” the South Carolinan said. He also said of the first-term Florida senator, “I like him, but I wasn’t ready to be president at 44.”
Bush has long been focusing on New Hampshire, but this endorsement will give him another chance at exceeding expectations in an early state.
“South Carolina is going to reset this race,” Graham said. “On February 20, we are going to give Jeb Bush the momentum he needs and deserves to win this nomination.”
The former Florida governor is currently in fifth in national polls, with the support of roughly five percent of the Republican primary electorate.
Updated
Christie record contradicts debate claims
Marco Rubio mounted some potentially damaging attacks on Chris Christie last night, accusing the New Jersey governor of being too close to Barack Obama and of being too moderate.
For example, Rubio said, Christie once wrote a check to Planned Parenthood, and supported the nomination by Obama of Sonia Sotomayor to the Supreme Court.
In reply, Christie flatly denied both charges. He had supported neither Planned Parenthood nor Sotomayor, he said. The newspapers at the time got it wrong, he said. He repeated this denial on MSNBC’s Morning Joe on Friday morning.
It appears Christie did endorse Sotomayor, according to a New Jersey statehouse reporter for Gannett:
For clarity's sake, here's Christie statement from 2009 on Sotomayor https://t.co/7pvaSjYvgd pic.twitter.com/2T5Rcz7VMW
— Michael Symons (@MichaelSymons_) January 15, 2016
As for the Planned Parenthood check, the New Jersey Star-Ledger has posted its original article from 1994 in which Christie said: “I support Planned Parenthood privately with my personal contribution and that should be the goal of any such agency, to find private donations.”
Christie on PP in 1994: ''I support Planned Parenthood privately with my personal contribution." https://t.co/5QcLfrnu9q
— Ryan Lizza (@RyanLizza) January 15, 2016
What explanation will Christie come up with to make sense of his contradicting claims? That he did not know what his aides were up to?
Yep. He says he was misquoted by the Star-Ledger on both Planned Parenthood and Sotomayor. https://t.co/pKzK8PjTxR
— Willie Geist (@WillieGeist) January 15, 2016
Updated
The Lindsey Graham endorsement of Jeb Bush event has wrapped.
And the reviews are trickling in:
Sen. Lindsey Graham embarrassed himself with his failed run for President and now further embarrasses himself with endorsement of Bush.
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) January 15, 2016
Updated
Graham drops some science on a couple other Republican candidates, on their immigration views:
Ted, you were for legal status!
Donald Trump, what you’re talking about makes no sense... it doesn’t have a chance in hell of passing!
Graham: Rubio 'will be president one day'
In endorsing Bush, Graham says that Rubio will be president:
I think Marco Rubio will be president of the United States one day. He’s one of the most gifted people I’ve ever met. But I wasn’t ready to be president at 44.
Trump’s paying attention. Does not sound impressed:
Jeb Bush, who did poorly last night in the debate and whose chances of winning are zero, just got Graham endorsement. Graham quit at O.
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) January 15, 2016
Bush praises Graham.
“I have sought out his advice, even though we were both competitors... and he gave it,” Bush says. “Because he’s not running for his own ego.”
I am honored to be your student in many ways in that regard.”
Then Bush moves to cash in on his new endorsement. “South Carolina is going to be a really important primary,” Bush says. “The direction of campaigns is set here in South Carolina.”
Graham: 'South Carolina is going to reset this race'
Here’s what the event in North Charleston looks like. Graham there with the ill-timed blink. Graham says:
Ladies and gentlemen, South Carolina is going to reset this race. On February 20, it is going to give Jeb Bush the momentum he needs and deserves to win this nomination.
Graham: 'Bush ready on day one'
“I have concluded without any hesitation, without any doubt, that Jeb Bush is ready to be commander-in-chief on day one,” senator Graham says, explaining his endorsement. “For those of you who worry about going it alone, you don’t have to worry with Jeb.”
Then Graham slams Trump:
Mr Trump doubled down on the idea that we as a nation should ban every Muslim in the world [at last night’s debate].
“I can’t think of a worse idea in terms of how to fight and win this war. Many of the people running for president are eerily silent on this issue. Last night I heard from Jeb Bush the right answer... we cannot and should not declare war on a religion.
“Last night, [Bush] did not talk the most, but he made the most sense.”
Graham endorses Bush
The promised endorsement comes through, via Twitter, and Bush graciously accepts. We’ll be watching the event on the local news channel Graham links to:
I’m endorsing @JebBush for President this morning. He’s prepared to be Commander in Chief on Day 1. WATCH: https://t.co/pm7JyS44KH
— Lindsey Graham (@LindseyGrahamSC) January 15, 2016
Honored to have @GrahamBlog on our team. A proven leader with a clear understanding of the national security threats we face.
— Jeb Bush (@JebBush) January 15, 2016
13 Hours, a movie about the 2012 Benghazi attacks directed by Michael “Transformers” Bay, was released this morning. Here’s the trailer:
The movie is in the news not only because it came up multiple times at the debate last night – although the Hollywood production did get impressively strong attention from the candidates, with Texas senator Ted Cruz devoting his entire closing statement to advertising it. Here’s how we paraphrased Cruz’s close:
Cruz: ‘13 hours.’ Tomorrow morning, a new movie will debut about the incredible bravery of Benghazi Benghazi BenGHAZI. [Now there’s product placement.] If I’m elected, I will have the backs of the military and law enforcement.
Late last night the Des Moines Register reported that Trump had done Cruz one better by renting space at an Urbandale, Iowa, movie theater and giving Iowans free tickets to a showing of 13 Hours. This morning the Register expands on the report (which you can read in full here):
Mr. Trump would like all Americans to know the truth about what happened at Benghazi,” the GOP presidential candidate’s Iowa co-chair Tana Goertz said Thursday night.
Michael Bay, historian.
Updated
From the comments
Are you still debating who won last night’s debate? A commenter calls it for Trump:
Here was our snap reaction as the event wound down, in last night’s live blog:
Snap reaction: weak/stumbly for Bush, strong for Trump and Rubio, Cruz on his heels/ under attack but comfortable and capable there, Kasich reasonable but maybe irrelevant, Carson was Carson, and Christie – a strong night for Christie?
Hillary Clinton promised to investigate UFOs at a campaign stop in New Hampshire last month. (She was kidding. We think.)
This morning she accused Republicans of living in an “alternative universe,” Guardian reporter Amanda Holpuch reports:
Clinton said in an interview on MSNBC that she had a “more clear sense of what is going to be required” to be president than the Republican candidates.
Clinton also spoke to the importance of upward class mobility, strangely echoing a call last night by undercard debate participant Rick Santorum.
“You shouldn’t have to be the granddaughter of a former American president to have your dream realized,” Clinton said.
For all the hand-to-hand combat in South Carolina last night, there may really have been one straight-up shiv, and it came from Carly Fiorina, going after Hillary Clinton over Clinton’s decision to stick with her husband after revelations that he had, uh, strayed.
Talking on the debate stage about her downtime after leaving Hewlett-Packard in 2005, Fiorina said, “Unlike another woman in this race, I actually was spending time with my husband.”
Fiorina, who has predicated her campaign on the imagined desire of people to watch her “fight” Clinton – “You will pay to see that fight,” she said last night – kept going after the former secretary of state this morning.
Carly staying classy on MSNBC: “If my husband did the kind of things Bill Clinton had done, I’d have left him a long time ago."
— daveweigel (@daveweigel) January 15, 2016
Clinton on Fallon: Trump 'obsessed with me'
Democratic candidate Hillary Clinton went on Jimmy Fallon last night. She told the late night funnyman that she would not watch the Republican debate (the show, which airs at 11.35pmET, tapes in the afternoon) and that Donald Trump “is a lot more obsessed with me than I am with him.” Here’s a clip:
Always a great time with @jimmyfallon. Thanks for snapping with us! (👻: HillaryClinton) pic.twitter.com/uAAUnvECQ7
— Hillary Clinton (@HillaryClinton) January 14, 2016
Updated
Graham to endorse Bush
Lindsey Graham, the South Carolina senator who made a mark on the presidential race by calling for the deployment of up to 20,000 US troops to the Middle East to confront Isis, is about to pass the torch, the Washington Post reports.
Graham is to endorse Jeb Bush, the former Florida governor, in a news conference this morning, the paper quotes the Bush campaign as saying.
The endorsement makes sense as one establishment candidate – Graham has been in the Senate since the 2002 election cycle – favoring another, in a field where outsider candidates abound.
Or Graham may simply have reasoned, when you want to send tens of thousands of troops to the Middle East, you elect a Bush.
We’ll have full coverage of Graham’s announcement when he makes it.
Hello and welcome to our live-wire coverage of the day in politics – starting with lines out of last night’s Republican debate in South Carolina.
There’s a lot popping today, so let’s get started.
If you saw last night’s debate, you’ll have watched tensions in the Republican race finally break into open, face-to-face confrontation, with moneyman Donald Trump and senator Ted Cruz arguing over Trump’s values and Cruz’s birthplace, and Senator Marco Rubio and Governor Chris Christie joining in in multiple combinations.
Here’s our report from South Carolina, from Ed Pilkington and Ben Jacobs:
What you might have missed, even if you made it through all 150 minutes of the debate, was Trump in the spin room afterwards, keeping up his attacks on Cruz for being born in Canada. Here’s some footage:
One of the liveliest exchanges of Thursday evening came when Cruz was asked what he meant when he said Trump had “New York values”. Cruz replied that only New Yorkers don’t know what New York values are, to which Trump delivered a paean to the spirit of sympathy and warmth that animated the city in the wake of the September 11 attacks.
The Daily News helpfully demonstrated that spirit with a cover illustration this morning:
Stop the presses! A new Page 1... DROP DEAD, TED: https://t.co/68hKgqmjBx pic.twitter.com/veDsxLYDTN
— New York Daily News (@NYDailyNews) January 15, 2016
Fresh from sparring with Cruz in Charleston, Trump is speaking in Des Moines, the Iowa capital, at 10am. Last night the pair also fought about whose polling numbers in Iowa were more yuge. Polling averages have Trump up less than a point in the crucial caucus state. He’s going to try to build on that.
We’ll have all this and more, right here. Read on!
Updated
Trump missed his line he used on yesterday's Bloomberg interview, "if anyone wants to knock New York, they gotta go through me".
Otherwise, he won.