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Republicans just had an awkward candidate forum — watch some of the painful moments here
(AP Photo/Jim Cole) Republican presidential candidates onstage before a forum on Monday in Manchester, New Hampshire. From left: Jeb Bush, Ben Carson, Chris Christie, Carly Fiorina, Lindsey Graham, Bobby Jindal, John Kasich, George Pataki, Rick Perry, and Rick Santorum. (Scott Walker was cut off to the right of the frame.)
Republicans took to a New Hampshire stage Monday night for a presidential forum that functioned as an early preview of the contest for the GOP nomination.
It was awkward.
Unlike the coming Fox News debate on Thursday, the "Voters First Forum" did not attempt to winnow the participants down to an effective number, given the format and two hours of time available.
Fourteen candidates, back-to-back, rushed through only a handful of questions each — often speaking so quickly they stumbled. The moderator, Jack Heath, sometimes asked unwieldy multipart questions that were dodged with little opportunity for follow-up. The candidates were sometimes interrupted and shooed from the stage. And they were sitting on stools in a rather unpresidential fashion.
Noticeably absent was Donald Trump, who polls consistently show has a wide, double-digit lead over his rivals both nationally and in the Granite State. The real-estate mogul told the New Hampshire Union Leader, a host of the forum, that one of the newspaper's critical editorials convinced him to be a no-show.
"Therefore, and for other reasons including the fact that I feel there are too many people onstage to have a proper forum, I will not be attending," Trump wrote in a letter to the Union Leader.
It's unlikely that Trump regrets the decision to skip the event, which reminded some observers of speed dating. Trump, of course, has no problem getting media attention on his own.
Here are some highlights.
Former Gov. Rick Perry of Texas, who went first, is told to walk off the stage when he's not quite ready.
Former Gov. George Pataki of New York isn't able to finish his sentence because of time limits.
Sen. Lindsey Graham of South Carolina brings up the Monica Lewinsky scandal to attack Democratic front-runner Hillary Clinton.
Gov. Scott Walker of Wisconsin dodges a simple — but multipart — climate-change question.
Former Gov. Jeb Bush of Florida stumbles a bit while discussing a shirt from his "swag store."
And Gov. Chris Christie of New Jersey jokingly wonders aloud whether he is "washed up."
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