GOP Debate: Expect the Gloves to Come Off

LAS VEGAS -- Some may call it a December miracle, but the Donald Trump machine is still on top of the polls and playing to sold-out shows across the country, including Monday night in Las Vegas.

A new Washington Post-ABC News poll put him at 38 percent among Republican and GOP-leaning independent voters.

"This country needs to get away from political correctness…It's killing us," Trump told the crowd of supporters.

And his fans loved every minute of it.
 
"I respond really well to honesty and to somebody who is really practical about solving problems," said one Trump supporter.
 
"I don't think he has anybody in his back pocket," stated another.
 
"Nowadays you have to be tough. You can't be softie softie," reflected another Trump fan.

But the race isn't Trump's alone. A new Iowa poll shows Sen. Ted Cruz rising steadily and in our past interviews. The Texas lawmaker clearly believes who will decide the winner.

"There are 90 million evangelical Christians in the United States, about 30 percent of our population. The last election 54 million evangelical Christians stayed home. If Christians will simply show up and vote our values, we'll turn this country around," Cruz declared.
 
Indeed, Cruz leads among evangelical voters, taking advantage of Dr. Ben Carson's drop off since the last debate.  Sen. Marco Rubio, R-Fla., is holding onto third with his sights set on Cruz. 

In an interview with CBN News, the Florida lawmaker made a veiled reference to Cruz's opposition to government surveillance that Rubio argues will prevent future terrorist attacks.
 
"Numerous members of my party, for the last few years, have worked to undermine our intelligence programs and they did so under the guise of civil liberties. But the truth is that there were no civil liberties being violated," Rubio remarked.
 
As for the overall tone of Tuesday night's CNN debate, expect a bunch of bickering and finger-pointing.  According to the Media Research Center, the last time CNN asked the questions, three-fourths were aimed at getting Republican candidates to criticize each other.

Now that the stakes are higher, we can expect the candidates to throw a number of punches on their own.