FINAL COUNTDOWN

Cruz, Rubio Step Up in Trump’s Absence

Spar on immigration.

Without Donald Trump taking center stage, seven Republican presidential candidates squared off in Des Moines, Iowa for the final debate before the state’s caucuses. Texas Sen. Ted Cruz and Florida Sen. Marco Rubio stepped into the spotlight, accusing each other of changing their stance on the hot-button issue of immigration. Rubio said the Texas senator was “willing to say or do anything to get votes,” while Cruz accused the Florida senator of capitalizing on a “politically advantageous” decision to support a 2013 Senate bill that included a pathway to citizenship. Former Florida governor Jeb Bush chimed in, accusing Rubio of having “cut and run” on the Senate immigration bill. “He cut and ran because it wasn’t popular with conservatives,” Bush said. The candidates also attacked Hillary Clinton, with New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie saying, the Democratic frontrunner “is not qualified to be president.”