GOP candidates brawl, minus Trump

DES MOINES, Iowa - In Donald Trump's absence, the top Republicans running for president brawled over their positions on contentious issues like immigration and national security as they sought to draw key distinctions before Iowa's caucuses initiate the nominating process next week.

Trump's refusal to participate in the seventh debate - born out of a grudge held for months against one of the debate moderators - offered more time for the lower-polling candidates to command the attention of caucus-goers and TV viewers.

Yet even as Trump, the celebrity real estate mogul, held a campaign rally across town at Drake University that he said would raise money for veterans, his absence didn't go unnoticed.

Moderator Megyn Kelly began by immediately asking Texas Sen. Ted Cruz what Trump's decision signaled to Iowans.

"Let me say: I'm a maniac. And everyone on this stage is stupid, fat, and ugly. And Ben [Carson], you're a terrible surgeon. Now that we've gotten the Donald Trump portion out of the way," Cruz said to laughter and applause, "I want to thank everyone here for showing the men and women of Iowa the respect to show up and make the case to the people of this state and the people of this country why each of us believes we would make the best commander-in-chief."

Trump balked after Fox News refused his demand that the network remove Kelly as a moderator. During the first GOP debate in August, Kelly asked Trump whether he had the temperament to be president, given his past misogynistic remarks. Trump said Kelly had treated him unfairly and launched a crusade against her.

"When you're treated badly, you have to stick up for your rights," Trump said at his rally.

His absence left seven candidates to debate on the main stage. One of the most contentious exchanges involved immigration.

Former Florida Gov. Jeb Bush said he initially supported Florida Sen. Marco Rubio's leadership on an immigration-policy overhaul, which would have established a path to citizenship for those here illegally.

"Then he cut and run because it wasn't popular," Bush said.

Bush has since changed to favoring legal status short of citizenship. Rubio and Bush squabbled over the fact both had changed their minds.

As part of their questioning, moderators used TV clips of candidates discussing their positions, including immigration. One showed Cruz saying he wanted a Senate bill that would provide immigrants here illegally a path to legal status. Another showed Rubio before he was elected to the Senate saying he opposed "amnesty."

The clips put the candidates on the defensive as they tried to triangulate justifications for their apparent shifts.

"I feel like I need a Washington-to-English dictionary converter," New Jersey's Gov. Christie said to laughter. "You can change your mind. The difference is when you are a governor you have to admit it. Stop the Washington bull!"

The debate, at the Iowa Events Center in downtown Des Moines, came as the candidates in recent days have traveled the state, holding town halls and rallies in bars, churches, and steak houses to make their final pitches to caucus-goers.

Thirty-two percent of likely Republican caucus-goers support Trump, with Cruz next at 25 percent, according to a Wall Street Journal/NBC News/Marist poll released Thursday. Rubio is the only other candidate who registered double-digit support, with 18 percent.

Other candidates, including Christie, Bush, and Ohio Gov. John Kasich, have bet their campaigns on strong showings in New Hampshire, which holds the first primary Feb. 9.

While the elected officials focused on who had superior policy ideas or was best positioned to defeat Democratic front-runner Hillary Clinton, retired neurosurgeon Ben Carson took a different approach.

"I've had more 2 a.m. phone calls than everybody here put together, making life-and-death decisions, put together very complex teams to accomplish things that have never been done before," he said.

Some of the candidates went after Cruz, who has cast himself as a "consistent conservative" who has done the most to combat President Obama's agenda while others sat by idly.

"This is the lie that Ted's campaign is built on, that he's the true conservative and everybody else is a RINO," Rubio said, adding that Cruz had worked for the first presidential campaign of George W. Bush, an establishment figure.

Kasich said: "We cannot fix things in this country" like Social Security and stagnant wages "unless we lead as conservatives but we also invite people in from the other party."

The candidates also clashed over how best to fight terrorism. Kentucky Sen. Rand Paul - back on the main debate stage after being downgraded to an undercard event because of low poll numbers earlier this month - said Rubio was disingenuous in calling for a muscular response to ISIS while also previously supporting the immigration bill that Paul said would not have protected the border.

Kelly, the moderator, pressed Christie on whether authorities should use racial profiling to root out possible terror cells. She noted that neighbors of the people who carried out a terrorist attack in San Bernardino, Calif., had expressed concern about their activity but felt they didn't know enough to alert the police.

"You can do it without profiling, Megyn," Christie said. "I think what people should do is use their common sense. Let law enforcement make those decisions."

aseidman@phillynews.com

856-779-3846 @AndrewSeidman

Staff writer Maddie Hanna contributed to this article.