Marco Rubio and Ted Cruz took aim at Donald Trump Thursday as the senators vie to become the alternative to the real-estate mogul in the final debate before Super Tuesday.
The opening moments of CNN’s GOP debate here were dominated by a clash over immigration. Rubio, who has been reticent to directly go after Trump during previous debates, accused Trump of hiring undocumented workers.
“You’re the only person on this stage that’s ever been fined for hiring people to work on your project illegally,” Rubio said.
In a tense exchange, Trump and Rubio talked over each other, as Trump argued that he is the only one on stage with hiring experience.
“I’ve hired tens of thousands of people over my lifetime,” he said.
Cruz also went on the offensive, saying Trump had previously donated to Democrats who had worked on the so-called Gang of Eight immigration reform bill. Voters should judge a candidate by looking at their “record before they were a candidate for president,” Cruz added.
The debate is unfolding as Trump heads into the March 1 contests with remarkable momentum, after consecutive victories in New Hampshire, South Carolina and Nevada. Cruz and Rubio, who are flanking Trump on stage, have so far been unable to step out of Trump’s shadow and are hoping to use Thursday’s debate to gain an advantage.
Trump went into the debatefacing calls to release his tax returns. Romney told Fox News on Wednesday that there could be a “bombshell” in Trump’s tax returns, a line that signaled anxiety inside the GOP establishment that the billionaire businessman might become the nominee.
Trump struck back in a series of tweets and told CNN’s Anderson Cooper, “there is no bombshell at all other than I pay a lot of tax and the government wastes the money.”
The last GOP debate in South Carolina quickly spiraled into an ugly brawl, with accusations of dishonesty and personally charged attacks flying in all directions. Cruz, in particular, is trying to fight off allegations that he is using dirty campaign tactics to get ahead.
The conservative firebrand senator came in first-place in the Iowa caucuses but has not been able to notch another win since, and has been forthright about the ramifications of Super Tuesday, especially the significance of his home state of Texas, where there are 155 delegates at stake.
A Monmouth University poll released Thursday put Cruz 15 points ahead of Trump in Texas.
“One week from today will be the most important night of the campaign,” Cruz told supporters Tuesday night after coming in third place behind Trump and Rubio in Nevada.
Rubio heads into next week with his sights set on the establishment mantle. But the Florida senator has yet to win a single state and has stumbled over criticism that he is unprepared for the presidency.
Meanwhile, John Kasich is starting to come under pressure from establishment Republicans to drop his White House bid to clear the way for Rubio. He’s given no indication that he’ll be getting out — certainly not before his home state of Ohio holds its contest on March 15.
Ben Carson, a retired neurosurgeon, also insists he’s in it for the long haul, even as it appears increasingly unlikely that he will regain his footing in the race.