DES MOINES, Iowa—Republican White House hopefuls and their supporters dragged themselves out of bed early Sunday for a full-scale debate featuring all the major candidates the field has to offer so far.
Shelley Bruce was among those who gathered hours before the ABC News debate in the pouring rain to flash signs and yell at passing cars. She was there with a co-worker to support former New York Mayor Rudy Giuliani, although she’s “just getting to know all of the candidates, really.”
The Des Moines woman, who shielded herself from the blowing rain and wind with her jacket over her head, said she’s happy the debate was being held in the Heartland.
“This is where it all starts,” she said as she huddled behind other supporters.
The 90-minute debate on “This Week with George Stephanopoulos” featured the nine Republican candidates and an array of questions on topics from the war in Iraq to health care to tax reform. The programs given to attendees included the regular biographical information and also some personal details on the candidates—including the last book they read and their favorite movie.
For Duncan Hunter his pick for movie was “The Quiet Man,” while former Wisconsin Gov. Tommy Thompson liked “True Grit.” Kansas Sen. Sam Brownback professed himself a “Star Wars” fan and Colorado Rep. Tom Tancredo went with a classic—”Casablanca,” which was also former Arkansas Gov. Mike Huckabee’s favorite flick.
When it came to favorite foods, Arizona Sen. John McCain listed himself a barbecue ribs fan, while former Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney favored meatloaf cakes and turkey sandwiches. Texas Rep. Ron Paul said he likes seafood.
The candidates sounded off Sunday in front of an American-flag themed backdrop at a hall at Drake University in Des Moines. Just as the event started, the sun shone through the stained glass windows and lit up the venue, where hundreds of Republicans from around the country gathered to hear the candidates battle out the issues.
“I think we’ve got a really good field there. There’s some that I’m not interested, but there’s a number that I think are highly qualified and really good,” said John McBride, of Polk City. He said he especially liked what the candidates had to say on national security, and said Romney as well as Huckabee both provided good answers on that topic.
To get his vote, McBride said he wants “somebody who understands what’s going on in the real world.” He said he’ll attend the straw poll next week in Ames, but he’s still not sure who he’ll support there.
“I wish I could vote for three or four of them, but we’ve got to pick out one,” he said.
The candidates’ wives and families were gathered in the front rows to cheer on their loved ones, and poised to rush onto the stage to offer congratulations when the debate concluded.
The crowd was lively, with enthusiastic clapping and even some heckling. Paul was booed when he said the United States should pull out of Iraq. But plenty of Paul supporters were in the crowd to vocally offer their opinions when candidates such as McCain professed their support for the war. When Paul answered a question about democracy one man shouted loudly “Whoo, whoo, whoo, you rock.”
When posed a question about their biggest mistake, Giuliani joked that he may not be able to answer in the seconds provided, while Romney flashed his notebook to Giuliani to indicate he’s got a ready list of his rivals shortcomings.
There were differing tactics for garnering Stephanopoulos’ attention during the debate. Some candidates raised their hand and others pointed their pens aggressively in the moderator’s direction. Tancredo at one point got upset about getting little response time, and chided that “there are other people in this room.”
Thompson said after the debate he was pleased with the format and that it was much fairer than two previous debates.
“I think they talked about subjects like Iraq, but also like health care, which I have been screaming about for so long ‘Why don’t you ask some questions about health care?'” he said.
Front-runners Giuliani, Romney and McCain skipped the spin room after the debate, where candidates gather to answers questions for the media—instead sending surrogates and family members.
Doug Gross, former Republican gubernatorial candidate and the chairman of Romney’s campaign in Iowa, said his candidate “is head and shoulders above the rest of the other candidates.
“He’s clearly very presidential in looks and style and the way he spoke, and frankly his substantive handle of the issues, Gross said.
As he walked his walked his way over to talk with reporters, Steve Forbes said Giuliani “came across forcefully on both national security and the tax side.” He also praised Giuliani for his humor during the debate.
“People like that forcefulness with a little sense of humor, like John Kennedy had,” Forbes said.
Giuliani gave a little scare to the crowd when he stumbled from the stage as he went to speak with the debate moderators. He recovered quickly and his staff said he was fine.
