As GOP debate nears, candidates prepare for showdown

By Scott Lucas, Megan Messerly

Tuesday, Dec. 15, 2015 | 2 a.m.

All political eyes will be on Las Vegas tonight, as the field of Republican candidates for president comes to the Venetian for two debates sponsored by CNN.

Nine contenders will appear during the primetime debate. At the center will be businessman Donald Trump, whose continued dominance in polls of Republican voters has caused party leaders to float the possibility of a brokered convention.

Here’s all the latest you need to know about tonight’s Republican debate:

Terrorism comes to the fore

The mass shooting in San Bernardino came three days after the last GOP debate, meaning that tonight will be the first time the candidates will weigh in on terrorism from the debate stage. For now, Trump has dominated the conversation with his call to bar Muslims from entering the United States. Pay attention to how the other candidates position themselves.

Rubio plays for voters young and old

As he did on his last visit to Las Vegas, Florida Sen. Marco Rubio cast a wide demographic net in the crowd of 200 that gathered Monday at the Renaissance Hotel for a pre-debate event.

At the rally, Rubio harkened back to the country’s past, saying it had repeatedly confronted hard times. “We have always faced great challenges,” Rubio said. “Ours has never been a story of a people who have it easy.”

At the same time, he spoke of a new American dream — a message that resonated with some millennials in Rubio’s crowd. Three Arbor View High School students, all of whom will be 18 in November, said he seemed more “inspiring” and “down to earth” than other candidates. “He’s the bomb dot-com,” said Brooke Leany, a senior.

In what may be a preview of what he may say tonight, Rubio lamented the San Bernardino shootings and criticized President Barack Obama’s response to ISIS. “(ISIS is) not just sending people here from abroad, they’re radicalizing Americans.”

Rubio also spoke to the dissatisfaction some Americans have expressed with the status quo — the same sentiment drawing many Republican voters to Donald Trump. If, as an emerging consensus suggests, Trump’s appeal is to those disaffected by structural changes in the economy and culture, then any play by a rival candidate for that support will have to address those fears.

That may be why Rubio released a new ad on Monday that makes an explicit appeal to "traditional values" who Rubio says "feel out of place in our own country.”

Larry Gayman, who lives in Pahrump and attended the rally, said he didn’t think the real estate mogul has presented viable solutions. Gayman supports retired neurosurgeon Ben Carson, but was interested in Rubio’s “common sense” approach.

Nevada politicians rallying for Rubio Monday included Lt. Gov Mark Hutchison, former Gov. Bob List and state Sen. Patricia Farley.

Trump supporters attack protesters

The night before the debate, Trump rallied his supporters at the Westgate Las Vegas at an event marred by violence.

A group of about 15 protesters with activists group Unity Vegas interrupted Trump’s speech chanting “dump Trump” and “black lives matter.” Some Trump supporters in the crowd pushed the demonstrators to the ground and tried to take a demonstrator’s phone. “A man by the door was screaming ‘white power’ to us,” said Laura Martin, one of the demonstrators.

When cameras turned to focus on the commotion, Trump again criticized the media, saying, “They only turn when there’s a protester.”

The demonstrators eventually made it outside the building — some removed by security — with no apparent injuries.

In a preview of what could come tonight, Trump asked the crowd, “Who’s going to attack Trump first?” Trump also said there were “so many people” on the stage and that “it would be nice to have some time to talk.”

Trump bragged about the size of his crowd of several thousand Monday night, saying, “Everywhere I go we have crowds life this … far bigger than anyone else, and that includes Bernie Sanders.”

Trump faced condemnation after he said he would bar Muslims from entering the United States. On Monday night, he didn’t touch on that plan, instead saying, “I have so many great relationships with Muslim people. They know there's a problem.”

During his speech, Trump touched on several issues, criticizing policies like Obamacare and Common Core.

In Iowa, Ted Cruz is — well — cruising

In Iowa, Texas Sen. Ted Cruz may be pulling ahead of the pack. According to a Fox News poll released Sunday, Cruz is in a statistical dead heat with Trump for the lead, with Cruz at 28 percent and Trump at 26 percent of likely GOP voters. Cruz doesn’t seem to be pulling support from Trump so much as consolidating the support of voters who had backed candidates like Carson, Jeb Bush and Rand Paul. Careful about reading too much into Iowa: In 2012, caucus goers backed Sen. Rick Santorum and in 2008, former Arkansas Gov. Mike Mike Huckabee.

Jeb Bush loses his exclamation point

Almost every other major candidate scheduled public rallies either before or after the debate with Nevada supporters, except the former Florida governor. Maybe it’s for the best. In previous trips, Bush has appeared before lackluster crowds and awkwardly joked about Supergirl — but his absence is felt.

Paul barely clings on

Before the debates’ lineups were announced, speculation ran rampant that the Kentucky senator’s low standing in the polls would demote him from the main stage. On Sunday, CNN announced that Paul would remain on the main stage. That’s good news for the libertarian-leaning politician, who has struggled to break out. As Woody Allen once said, “Showing up is 80 percent of life.”

Democrats go on the offensive

Democratic leaders used the eve of the debate to go after Republican candidates on immigration, national security and the economy.

Local union leaders and progressive groups hosted a roundtable Monday afternoon to compare Cruz and Rubio unfavorably with Trump. The Democratic National Committee also hosted a pre-debate news conference with DNC Chairwoman Rep. Debbie Wasserman Schultz and Rep. Dina Titus, where they said that any of the Republican candidates would undermine national, environmental and economic security.

Still, Titus, in an interview earlier Monday, said she didn’t see the debate changing the eventual outcome. “Polling shows that Hillary Clinton is the strongest candidate,” Titus said.

When is the debate? How can I watch it?

CNN will televise the main debate from the Venetian, which will include Trump, Carson, Cruz, Rubio, Bush, businesswoman Carly Fiorina, New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie, Ohio Gov. John Kasich and Paul, at 5:30 p.m. The early debate, which will feature Huckabee, Santorum, former New York Gov. George Pataki and South Carolina Sen. Lindsey Graham will take place at 3 p.m. You’ll be able to watch the debates on CNN and livestreaming on its homepage.