The front page of this morning’s Des Moines Register says it all:
Ouch! Front page of Des Moines Register pic.twitter.com/VNjD2Px1bg
— Jim Acosta (@Acosta) January 29, 2016
If Donald Trump’s strategy involved skipping the debate in order to expose (and harm) [crscore]Ted Cruz[/crscore], it probably worked.
But maybe there was an unintended consequence? In this last debate before the Iowa caucuses, and absent Trump’s theatrics, [crscore]Marco Rubio[/crscore] had a very solid debate. Right after the debate, I said he probably won. My colleague Jamie Weinstein agrees.
Trump’s goal, of course, is to win Iowa—and that involves beating Ted Cruz. But another consequence of Trump skipping this debate might end up being that Marco Rubio finishes a strong third in Iowa—and then rides that wave to a strong finish in New Hampshire.
This might be the first time Trump’s games have benefitted anyone in the so-called “establishment” lane. And it’s coming at just the right moment for Rubio.