BOULDER, Colorado — One reason the Republicans should be able to win the 2016 presidential race is that the Democratic candidates simply aren’t that strong, said South Carolina Sen. Lindsey Graham.
Mr. Graham, appearing at the first of two Republican primary debates Wednesday with the other lower-polling candidates, noted that Democratic frontrunner Hillary Clinton has said she was flat broke when she left the White House with her husband, former President Bill Clinton.
And then there’s her chief rival, Vermont Sen. Bernie Sanders, a self-declared Socialist.
“The number two guy went to the Soviet Union for his honeymoon, and I don’t think he ever came back,” said Mr. Graham to loud laughter.
The candidates spoke before an audience of about 1,000 in the Coors Event Center at the University of Colorado Boulder at the third Republican presidential debate, called “Your Money, Your Vote,” hosted by CNBC.
An Economist/YouGov poll released Wednesday found businessman Donald Trump remains in the lead for the GOP presidential nomination with 32 percent, trailed by retired neurosurgeon Ben Carson with 18 percent.
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When their first- and second-place votes are combined, however, the GOP frontrunners are “effectively tied,” with Mr. Trump taking 43 percent and Mr. Carson at 42 percent, according to the poll.
South Carolina Sen. Lindsey Graham, Louisiana Gov. Bobby Jindal, former Pennsylvania Sen. Rick Santorum registered at 1 percent or lower in the web-based poll, which surveyed 2,000 U.S. adults from Oct. 23-27.
• Valerie Richardson can be reached at vrichardson@washingtontimes.com.
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