The prime-time Republican debate at the Reagan Library Wednesday went on for three hours. The CNN moderators asked more than three dozen questions on topics ranging from birthright citizenship to climate change to the safety of vaccines. Of the candidates, Donald Trump talked the most, taking up nearly 19 minutes, with Jeb Bush at nearly 16 minutes, and Ben Carson, Carly Fiorina, and Chris Christie at about 13 minutes each.

Yet in all that time, with all those words spoken, the issue that remains the most important concern of voters across America — jobs and the economy — received scant attention.