Des Moines Register Front Page Blares ‘Rough Night For Cruz’

The front page of Iowa’s newspaper-of-record The Des Moines Register the day after the Fox News Republican debate declared that candidate Ted Cruz had a “rough night.”

“Without the dominant national front-runner in the room, the target was the candidate who inherited center stage for the night: Ted Cruz,” the front page story read. “But the Texas U.S. senator largely forfeited this golden opportunity…”

The Register spoke with a series of Iowa Republicans and political watchers to get their reactions after the debate. The people they spoke to were torn about who won the debate, but unanimously said Cruz lost.

Politico had a nearly identical take: “GOP insiders: It was a rough night for Ted Cruz.” “His entanglement with the moderators was one of the worst moments for a candidate in any of the debates,” said one New Hampshire Republican, referring to Cruz’s threat to leave the debate.

[Image via screengrab]
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