SIMI VALLEY, Calif.—The second GOP presidential debate is giving a prime-time stage to long shots trying to prove they’re worthy of attention and to weakened veterans fighting to reassert their viability—all still struggling against the campaign’s phenomenon, Donald Trump.
The billionaire businessman, who has shown striking durability through the summer, will be standing at center stage for the debate Wednesday night at the Regan Presidential Library in southern California, reflecting his lead in the national polls that determine participation.
As important as Trump’s poll numbers is the shift in the way he’s now viewed by his rivals and others. No longer dismissed as a summer fling for frustrated voters, Trump is increasingly seen as a candidate who could remain atop the field for months and win some early state primaries.
“He’s in complete, total control of the political battle space,” said Steve Schmidt, a top strategist for Sen. John McCain’s 2008 presidential campaign.
Still, Trump faces new competition from candidates who, like him, can claim the mantle of political outsider.
Ben Carson, a soft-spoken retired neurosurgeon, has climbed in recent polls and is likely to face more scrutiny Wednesday night than previously. In the main debate for the first time will be Carly Fiorina, the former Hewlett-Packard executive and only woman in the GOP field.
Fiorina was relegated to the undercard debate for lower-polling candidates last month but pulled off a standout performance. Since then, she’s been ridiculed by Trump, and viewers will be watching for exchanges between the two.
Both Carson and Fiorina will be looking to prove they merit the new attention, and Fiorina in particular is expected to be aggressive in taking on Trump.
