GOP candidates talk economy, jobs at third lower-tier debate

7:11 p.m. The debate ends with candidates delivering their closing statements. Santorum says he would make the U.S. the number one manufacturer in the world again. Jindal says, "We cannot allow Hillary Clinton take us further down this path of socialism."

Graham jabs at Donald Trump whose campaign slogan is "Make America great again."

"America is great," he said. "I intend to make America strong again."

Bobby Jindal addresses early debate performance

7:07 p.m. Candidates participate in a "lightning round" and are asked what are their most-used apps on their smartphones.

Jindal says he still owns a Blackberry, Santorum says he uses the Major League Baseball, National Hockey League and Wall Street Journal apps, Pataki said he uses Uber the most and Graham says "The only reason I have an iPhone is because I gave my number to Donald Trump."

A few months ago, Trump read Graham's cell phone number aloud at a campaign rally.

6:53 p.m. Pataki defends his belief that climate change is real, saying that he's troubled by the Republican Party's pattern of questioning "science that everyone accepts." He adds he doesn't understand why Republicans question the necessity of vaccines.

6:43 p.m. Pataki is asked whether he supports the Federal Reserve's policy of keeping interest rates near zero since the 2008 financial crisis.

"No, I don't support it," he said. "We've had the worst economic recovery since the Great Depression because of policy in Washington and the policy at the Fed."

He then admitted that President Obama inherited "an economic disaster" in 2009.

Lindsey Graham: I don't want to be secretary of anything

6:32 p.m. Graham goes off on a tangent and yelled "I'm tired of losing!" He slammed Democratic frontrunner Hillary Clinton for comments she made last year when she claimed she was "dead broke" when she left the White House.

Describing Bernie Sanders, Graham said, "The number two guy went to the Soviet Union on his honeymoon and I don't think he ever came back."

6:28 p.m. Jindal was asked what he would do to address corporate taxes. In response, he shoots back at candidates who will appear in the main debate.

"There are millions of folks who wouldn't pay taxes in Jeb's plan and Trump's plan and I think that's a mistake," he said. "I think everybody should pay something."

Pataki said he would "get rid of virtually every single one" of tax loopholes as president and enact tax cuts.

6:15 p.m. The candidates were asked about the bipartisan budget deal. Jindal called it a "very bad deal." Pataki called it a "bad deal," but said he would have voted for it if he served in Congress because it increases spending for the military.

Graham, senator from South Carolina, said he supports the budget agreement, but slammed President Obama on his foreign policies, calling him an "incompetent commander in chief."

6:11 p.m. First question was about how their experience inside the political system would matter. Jindal, governor of Louisiana, argued he was the "only one" who has cut the size of government.

Santorum, a former senator representing Pennsylvania, argued he delivered for the conservative cause by helping to pass welfare reform in Congress.

Pataki said he shrank the size of New York's government as its governor.

6:06 p.m. The second tier of the candidates face off in the "happy hour" debate on CNBC at the University of Colorado Boulder. They are Lindsey Graham, Bobby Jindal, Rick Santorum and George Pataki.

Moderators are expected to ask contenders about Americans' financial freedom, the health of the economy as well as jobs, taxes and the deficit.

Questions about the debt ceiling and the budget deal just passed by the House will likely be raised as well.

The main debate featuring the top 10 candidates begins at 8 p.m. ET.

f

We and our partners use cookies to understand how you use our site, improve your experience and serve you personalized content and advertising. Read about how we use cookies in our cookie policy and how you can control them by clicking Manage Settings. By continuing to use this site, you accept these cookies.