The New Jersey governor tried to make Hillary Clinton the target at every turn, but a feisty Bobby Jindal attacked Christie's record and tried to argue that he is the most conservative choice.
Rick Santorum, Bobby Jindal, George Pataki and Lindsay Graham tried to make the best of it as they were relegated, yet again, to an earlier debate instead of the main primetime stage.
There will be a renewed focus on a surging Ben Carson, while Jeb Bush needs a strong performance during the debate — which is focused on the economy — to assuage nervous donors.
Republican presidential debates are divided into two tiers, based on where candidates appear in the polls. The lower tier has dwindled to just four candidates in Wednesday night's debate.
Rick Perry, Bobby Jindal, Carly Fiorina, Rick Santorum, Lindsey Graham, George Pataki and Jim Gilmore didn't make the prime-time debate. Instead, they took shots at the people they wanted to debate.
