Republican contenders lay out goals for debate

But what about the Republican 2016ers themselves — what would are they setting out to accomplish and what would constitute success to them and their campaign advisers? The Washington Examiner spoke to advisers to most of the participants leading up to the prime time kickoff of phase two of the race for the GOP presidential nomination and a shot at presumptive Democratic nominee Hillary Clinton, and here’s what we learned.

Spoiler alert: Expect them to do their best to play it safe and keep their at most 10-12 minutes of talk time focused on the core themes of their stump speeches.

* Jeb Bush, the former Florida governor: Bush is prepared to throw down if attacked or challenged by a competitor. But his preferred approach is to stay out of the mud, educate voters about his record as a reformer during eight years as governor of the Sunshine State and perhaps, above all, begin to chip away at charges from the right that Bush is a moderate.

“Voters are familiar with Jeb, but for many this will be their first opportunity to hear about his successful conservative record,” Bush spokesman Tim Miller told the Examiner earlier this week. “He’s going to focus on introducing that and demonstrating an uplifting vision about how he can fix D.C. because he’s done it in Florida.”

* Ben Carson, retired pediatric neurosurgeon: For Carson, the first debate is all about public relations. The stoic Carson believes that his campaign can take off if he can make his case to the voters. For the time being, he remains particularly unknown across the country, despite the fame he earned as a doctor (a movie was made about him starring Cuba Gooding, Jr., as Carson.)

* Ted Cruz, Texas senator: Cruz has staked his claim as the only real fighter in the Republican race, someone who’s willing to take the wood to his own party when necessary, not just the opposition Democrats. Anti-establishment, anti-Washington is in, as evidenced by New York businessman’s rise to the top of the polls, and Cruz aims to corner the market for Republican voters who find this appealing. At the same time, and quite crucially, Cruz wants to offer an optimistic, positive vision for America and alternative to both President Obama and Republicans that he believes are too timid.

* Mike Huckabee, the former Arkansas governor: Huckabee wants to focus on his plans to reinvigorate the job market for economically insecure Americans and make the case that he can succeed against tough Democratic competition, as he did in Arkansas, where he repeatedly ran against a political machine created by Bill Clinton, who served as Arkansas governor before wining the presidency in 1992.

“Our focus on this debate is on making sure the governor is prepared to articulate his vision clearly and concisely to the American people, what he brings to the table and what he was able to accomplish in Arkansas with Democratic headwinds [and] what he’s going to do to provide moral clarity,” Huckabee spokesman Hogan Gidley said.

* Rand Paul, Kentucky senator: Paul wants to distinguish himself as the only different kind of Republican in the race. Paul has argued that his Constitutional, libertarian approach to public policy makes him uniquely positioned to attract young voters and minorities who don’t normally vote Republican to the GOP. Look for Paul to make this case, particularly on foreign policy, where his dovish views tend to set him apart from the rest of the Republican field. Accordingly, Paul wants to make an effective case that all of this make him the most electable Republican against Clinton in November of 2016.

* Marco Rubio, Florida senator: Despite a summer swoon in the polls, Rubio and his campaign are confident about their position and long-term trajectory. So their approach to the debate is to let Rubio and his strong communications skills shine. Look for the senator to treat Thursday evening as an opportunity to introduce himself to a national audience that doesn’t know him that well and put on display his articulate, in depth knowledge of major domestic and foreign policy issues.

“Marco’s strategy tonight is to stay positive, and talk about his vision for a New American Century. He will offer ideas to create more good-paying 21st Century jobs and help people get the education and skills they need for those jobs. He’ll talk about the need for American leadership around the world, and the need for a strong national defense,” Rubio campaign manager Terry Sullivan said in a blast-email to the senator’s supporters.

* Donald Trump, New York businessman: Trump has said he doesn’t necessarily have a strategy for the debate, setting expectations low for how he’ll do compared to the more experienced fencers with who he’ll be sharing the stage. The Trump campaign said it had nothing to add when reached for comment on Thursday.

* Scott Walker, Wisconsin governor: Walker wants to introduce himself to a national audience that — as with others on the stage this evening — knows very little about him. He wants to show that he’s a tested leader that has accomplished much more than reducing the power of public employee unions in Wisconsin, the issue that put him on the map not long after he was first elected governor in 2010. His campaign claims it’s not worried about getting tripped up on national issues like foreign policy.

* John Kasich, Ohio governor: The latest entrant into the race of the top tier candidates, expect Kasich to focus on his record here in the Buckeye State and to make the case that no one else on stage can match it. Kasich is a feisty politician who likes to mix things up, but long-time observers of his say he knows how to be disciplined when he has to be. The Kasich campaign sees tonight as a prime opportunity to introduce himself to the rest of the country; he plans to focus on that.

Requests for comment placed with advisers to New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie were not returned.

Disclosure: The author’s wife works as an adviser to Scott Walker.