John Minchillo / AP
Republican presidential candidates from left, Chris Christie, Marco Rubio, Ben Carson, Scott Walker, Donald Trump, Jeb Bush, Mike Huckabee, Ted Cruz, Rand Paul, and John Kasich take the stage for the first Republican presidential debate at the Quicken Loans Arena Thursday, Aug. 6, 2015, in Cleveland.
Wednesday, Oct. 28, 2015 | 2 a.m.
Ten GOP presidential candidates will be on the stage tonight in Boulder, Colo., pitching themselves as the fiscally conservative choice at the third presidential debate, titled “Your Money, Your Vote." The subject matter will be an expo of conservative values and promises to cut the deficit, reduce the debt and reform the tax code.
Whether you’re looking for a Rand Paul mic drop, a Jeb Bush breakout or just in it to watch Donald Trump, here’s our best guess at what to expect.
Trump vs. Carson
The two nonpoliticians will be front-and-center on the debate stage as Carson begins to pull ahead of Trump in some national polls. Don’t expect Carson to be anything other than the temperate, hard-right outsider he’s portrayed himself to be. He will want to come off as a prepared statesman armed with a plan that will create more jobs without raising taxes. In other words: the non-Trump. But if Trump has his way, he will steal air time from Carson at any feasible chance to decry any policy that isn’t his own and reject assertions that he’s a liberal at heart.
The re-establishment
Jeb Bush has had a rough go at raising excitement for his presidential bid. While his campaign asserts that he's not going anywhere, tonight will have to be a breakout performance for the former Florida governor. His key move: show some fire in the belly.
Sit back and relax
Expect Marco Rubio to do what he’s done all campaign: steer clear of attacks and galvanize the base with a youthful fervor. He's young, Latino and a first-term senator and been cast as the future of the GOP. While many are wondering if he has the experience to govern, expect detailed talking points on tax reform or economic growth.
Do or die
For candidates like Carly Fiorina, Chris Christie, John Kasich and Rand Paul, tonight can be the last words or a new beginning. In a push to capture Tea Party, Libertarian and Independent voters, watch for Paul to attack his peers standing on and off stage. Fiorina will tout her questionable business experience while Christie will hope to recover from a weekend where he was asked to leave an Amtrak car for being too loud.
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