The early GOP debate just ended — here are all the highlights
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(CNN/screenshot)
Four Republican presidential candidates took the stage for the fifth in a series of lower-tier GOP debates.
US Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-South Carolina), former Arkansas Gov. Mike Huckabee, former Sen. Rick Santorum (R-Pennsylvania), and former New York Gov. George Pataki will participate in the early debate, which airs before the main-stage affair later in the night.
The four candidates did not meet the average 3.5% support nationally or 4% support in Iowa or New Hampshire to qualify for the main debate. But they did garner the 1% support necessary to qualify for the earlier so-called undercard contest.
Graham and Pataki did not qualify for the previous undercard debate.
Check out our continuous coverage below:
8:13 p.m. — That's a wrap! The undercard debate is over.
8:12 p.m. — Santorum says that US President Barack Obama and Hillary Clinton aren't keeping us safe.
"I know and have known the face of evil and I, if you give me the opportunity, will defeat it," he said.
Huckabee has the last statement, and says that he will "fight for your grandkids as much as I fight for mine."
8:10: p.m. — Pataki is next, and he notes that he was the governor of New York during the 9/11 attacks.
"I vowed then that if I ever had the chance to lead the country, I would do everything I can to make America safe," he said.
8:08 p.m. — Closing statements begin, and Graham goes first.
"The next president is going to be a wartime president, whether you like it or not. I'm ready for that job," he said. "Make me president. I will keep you and your family safe."
8:05 p.m. — Santorum said we "have a policy that says amnesty" regarding immigration, which sends the message that if people come across the border, then they can stay.
"That has to change," he said.
7:43 p.m. — Santorum hinted that he would be open to reversing the US military's new policy that opens up all combat positions to women.
"I want to make sure that the person responsible for his wing has the ability to do the job that they're doing," Santorum said, referencing his son, who is enlisting in the US Air Force.
Later, Graham said that he'd support allowing women to serve in any combat positions.
"As to women — if you want to kill terrorists, I am your guy," Graham said.
7:38 p.m. — Graham criticizes Cruz's suggestion that to temporarily keep Syrian President Bashar al-Assad in power by quoting Cruz's favorite movie, "The Princess Bride."
"Inconceivable!" Graham said. "Princess Buttercup would not like this."
7:31 p.m. — Graham slams Obama's foreign policy approach to the Middle East, saying that former US President George W. Bush would not have allowed ISIS to grow in Iraq and Syria.
"I miss George Bush. I wish he were president right now. We wouldn't be in this mess," Graham said.
7:26 p.m. — Huckabee would not take a definitive stance on whether he would agree to allow Assad to stay in power temporarily in Syria, as Russian President Vladimir Putin has advocated for.
"Do I think we can hug Putin, and have a wonderful relationship with the Russians and go off into the sunset like at the end of 'Casablanca?'" Huckabee said. "No, I don't."
7:25 p.m. — Huckabee said that he would tell young people who want free college and legalized marijuana that he would do neither, and instead ask young people to serve in the US military.
"All over America I hear young people say, 'Would you tell me what you're gonna do? Would you get me free college? Would you make sure that I can have medical marijuana?'" Huckabee said.
He continued: "You know what I think we ought to tell young people? 'We aren't gonna give you anything! We're gonna give you the opportunity to get off your butt and go serve your country and secure your freedom because if you don't, nobody else is.'"
7:20 p.m. — Pushed by moderator Wolf Blitzer to say if he'd support deploying ground troops in Libya, where ISIS has expanded its presence in recent years, Graham would not take a definite stance, saying that he'd need to consult with military experts before making a decision.
7:11 p.m. — Graham and Santorum debate the merits of deploying US troops in Iraq and Syria to defeat ISIS. Graham reemphasizes his commitment to deploy some US soldiers in the region, warning that a terrorist attack could be imminent if the US does not send ground troops.
"They're planning another 9/11 as we speak," Graham said.
7:02 p.m. — After Santorum said that "Islam is different," implying that Muslims may be more likely to radicalize, Graham attempted to draw a distinction between Islam and religious extremists.
"To the 3,500 Muslims serving in the armed forces: Thank you for your service. You are not the enemy. Your religion is not the enemy," Graham said. "Leave the faith alone. Go after the radicals that kill us all."
6:54 p.m. — Huckabee said that he supported a new push to include a social media sweep included in background checks of visa applicants:
Every college [student] who goes to a frat party, gets drunk, and puts his picture on Facebook is going to have a potential employer looking at that photo before he gets hired. Why should we have more attention, for heaven's sake, towards some college kid who wants one day 10 years from now to get a job, than we're going to have for somebody who wants to come in with a semiautomatic weapon or a pipe bomb and blow up a bunch of Americans?
6:48 p.m. — Santorum said that while he doesn't necessarily support Trump's proposal to ban Muslims from entering the US, the reality-television star brings up "a legitimate issue."
"[Trump] brings up a legitimate issue. Not all Muslims are jihadists ... but all jihadists are Muslims," Santorum said.
6:44 p.m. — Graham reiterated his criticism of Trump's Muslim ban, saying that this only helps religious extremists by alienating Muslims and US allies in the Middle East.
"Donald Trump has done the one single thing you cannot do: Declare war on Islam itself. ISIL would be dancing in the streets, but they don't like dancing," Graham said.
6:40 p.m. — Santorum said that the US has entered World War III, citing the conflict with religious extremists in the Middle East like ISIS.
"We have entered World War III," Santorum said. "World War III has begun."
