The Republican debate, next week in Cleveland will mark not only the first gathering of the expansive GOP field but also the start of a new and unpredictable chapter in an already raucous 2016 race.
Under the bright studio lights on the shores of Lake Erie on Aug. 6, ambitions will be showcased, positions staked, and Donald Trump, who has consumed the summer’s political headlines, will finally be confronted, face to face, by his rivals.
“There is more downside than upside for most candidates, and the first goal is to try not to self-destruct,” said former House speaker Newt Gingrich, who speaks from his experience of running for the GOP nomination in 2012.
“You don’t want to get in a situation where you knock yourself out,” said Gingrich . “The candidates ought to figure out what their message is for the American people rather than worrying too much about the back-and-forth with others.”
But with the presence of Donald Trump, who has recently attacked former Florida governor Jeb Bush, Wisconsin Gov. Scott Walker and former Texas governor Rick Perry, makes calculations more difficult. Every candidate will have a strategy for making a memorable impression. “Every candidate has to have a Trump strategy” as well, explained an experienced GOP consultant.