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 Trump, who has seen Cruz surge ahead of him in polls in the early
voting state of Iowa, has begun an onslaught against the U.S.
senator from Texas and could ratchet up his attacks at the
nationally televised forum in Las Vegas.
Trump called Cruz a "maniac" on Sunday, an indication that he is
prepared to take aim at Cruz as he has successfully done against
rivals Ben Carson, Jeb Bush, Rand Paul and John Kasich.
Cruz will face a choice: Return fire and be drawn into a mud fight
or sidestep the attacks and risk looking weak.
As Trump and Cruz circle each other, the moderators for CNN, which
is hosting the debate, are likely to press the nine top-polling
Republican candidates sharing the stage about Trump's comments last
week calling for a ban on Muslims entering the United States.
Trump's remarks stirred international outrage, and other candidates
blasted him.
But Trump has neither backed down nor has he dropped in national
polls. The latest Reuters/Ipsos poll, completed after Trump's
comments, showed him leading the field with support of 35 percent of
Republican voters. Carson was second with 12 percent, followed by
Cruz and former Florida Governor Jeb Bush, tied at 10 percent.
Cruz, whose slicing rhetoric and tactics have made him few friends
in the U.S. Senate, is emerging as a leading rival to Trump for the
Republican nomination for the November 2016 presidential election
thanks to his strong organization in Iowa and large campaign war
chest.
If Cruz wins Iowa's caucuses on Feb. 1, he could be well-placed for
a strong finish in New Hampshire's first-in-the-nation primary on
Feb. 9, and potentially a victory in South Carolina, next up on the
primary calendar, where his conservative message plays well.
All this should give Trump the incentive to go on the offense at the
debate, which will begin at 9 p.m. EST on Tuesday.
"If you're a threat to him, he'll go after you," said Republican
strategist Rick Wilson. "And as much as Cruz remains an acceptable
figure for a lot of voters, the minute Trump goes after him he'll be
thrown off the island in a hot second."
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More than any of his rivals, Cruz has steered clear of public fights
with Trump, or as Wilson described it, Cruz has been "like a
pilotfish to Trump's very large white shark."
Cruz's supporters say the strategy has worked. They are cautioning
Cruz, who honed his debating skills as a student at Princeton
University, to resist the temptation to take on Trump now.
"Everybody is saying he should go after him," said Saul Anuzis, a
former chairman of the Michigan Republican Party who is a Cruz
backer. "My preference would be for him to stay on his own course
and not get sucked into other people's efforts to take one or the
other candidates down."
But a failure to swing back at Trump on national TV could make Cruz
look weak at a time when voters appear to be throwing their support
behind aggressive, outspoken candidates.
The CNN debate is the last such Republican encounter of 2015, and as
such, candidates want to leave an impression before voters settle in
for the holidays. That means Trump could draw heavy fire.
"If you want to win, place or show in Iowa and New Hampshire, you
have to attack Trump in the Vegas debate and show some chops," said
Republican strategist Scott Reed.
(Reporting by Steve Holland; Editing by Leslie Adler)
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