Scalia praised, Trump rattled in GOP debate

Republican presidential candidates gathered in Greenville, S.C., for a televised debate on Saturday night hours after the nation absorbed momentous news: U.S. Supreme Court Justice Antonin Scalia, one of the most conservative justices on the high court, died Saturday at age 79.

GOP contenders offered condolences but quickly turned to politics: Each candidate said President Barack Obama shouldn’t nominate a new justice during the final months of his presidency.

Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell, R-Ky., echoed those sentiments in a statement Saturday evening: “The American people should have a voice in the selection of their next Supreme Court justice. … This vacancy should not be filled until we have a new president.”

It’s a question sure to produce contentious debate among Republicans anxious for an opportunity to secure another conservative judge and Democrats eager to ensure that a president from their own party appoints the next justice.

Sen. Ted Cruz, R-Texas, underscored the stakes in choosing the next justice by offering a checklist of the kinds of issues the court could adjudicate in coming years: abortion, gun rights, and religious liberty.

Those issues resonate with Republican crowds in South Carolina, where GOP voters hold their primary next Saturday, and where the Republican candidates plan to barnstorm over the next few days.

One of the big questions coming into Saturday night’s debate: Would Sen. Marco Rubio, R-Fla., rebound after a weak performance in the last debate that may have led to a weak showing in the New Hampshire primary?

On that front, the senator had at least one advantage: New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie, who delivered the right hooks that bruised Rubio in the last debate, dropped out of the presidential race last week.

Rubio fared better Saturday, landing brisk points on foreign policy, and emphasizing the importance of family. But he still sparred with Cruz over immigration in a battle that promises to remain a source of sharp contention between the two candidates.

Perhaps the most interesting matchup of the evening was Donald Trump vs. former Florida Gov. Jeb Bush.

From the opening moments, Trump returned to the aggressive agitation that marked his early debate performances (and most of his rallies) by taking jabs at Bush and yelling over other candidates.

This time, Bush seemed prepared, shaking off Trump’s taunts and challenging his conservative credentials.

By the end of the evening, an overheated Trump was defending positions most conservatives oppose: He expressed support for Planned Parenthood, saying the nation’s largest abortion provider does “wonderful things” for women, “but not as it relates to abortion.”

He defended his use of eminent domain, a position Bush assailed.

He blamed former President George W. Bush for 9/11, a statement Rubio countered by pointing out President Bill Clinton was the leader who passed on an opportunity to kill Osama bin Laden years before the 9/11 attacks.

When Trump called Bush “weak,” Bush responded by saying Trump’s barrage of insults against all kinds of people aren’t an indicator of strength, and he pointed to the example of President Ronald Reagan: “He didn’t tear down people like Trump has; he tore down the Berlin Wall.”

Trump also wobbled when the moderator asked how he would implement the grandiose plans he’s proposed. Trump responded, “I would build consensus with Congress, and Congress would agree with me.” So far, no members of Congress have expressed public support for Trump.

It’s unclear whether Saturday night’s debate will be a game-changer in South Carolina, where the latest polls show Trump has a double-digit lead over Cruz, Rubio, Bush, Ohio Gov. John Kasich, and retired neurosurgeon Ben Carson.

But in a state where many voters historically have made up their minds in the days just before elections, Trump’s stumbles could give his opponents an opportunity to catch up in the final lap.