Everyone is talking about the recent clash between Gov. Chris Christie and Sen. Rand Paul. This is an important debate to have. The nomination may very well come down to this fundamental battle over the direction of the party. But let’s keep in mind that in the early primary states, these two men won’t be competing for the same voters or donors. And that’s where the real action will be — at least, for a while.
As the brackets above illustrate, the vitally important early contests (think Iowa, New Hampshire, South Carolina, etc.) will be about turf warfare. As I wrote in my column at The Week: “These will be the first (and ugliest) tests of the 2016 race — scrapes amongst ‘friends’ competing to dominate the same niche of voters (and donors).” Read the whole thing here.