GOP candidates expected to use Monday forum to elevate campaigns

CEDAR RAPIDS - In a field of 17 candidates, Republican presidential hopefuls will have to start going after each other directly, but Monday's nationally televised GOP forum may be too soon.

'In such a crowded field, at some point they'll have to throw sharper elbows, but this isn't the time,” University of Iowa political science professor Tim Hagle says. 'It's six months until the Iowa caucuses. There's plenty of time for that.”

Instead, he expects Republicans participating in the Voters First Forum in Manchester, N.H., will try to present themselves and their agendas in a positive way rather than go after each other.

Fourteen Republican presidential candidates are scheduled to participate in the forum from 6 to 8 p.m. Monday at St. Anselm's College in Manchester.

The forum is a collaboration among The Gazette and KCRG-TV9, the New Hampshire Union Leader in Manchester and the Post and Courier in Charleston, S.C. The forum will be broadcast on KCRG-TV9.2 as well as nationally by C-SPAN.

The forum will feature each candidate being interviewed by Jack Heath, host of 'New Hampshire Today” on WGIR-AM.

Although that doesn't allow the interaction among candidates that a debate would, Hagle says it will allow the moderator to drill down by asking follow-up questions so viewers can compare candidates' positions.

Craig Robinson of TheIowaRepublican.com blog expects the strategies may be different for those candidates who will participate in a Fox News debate later in the week.

'So many times we see campaigns launch a flurry of activity before a debate to make sure a certain topic is broached,” he says.

So they may raise particular issues in hopes they will be part of the discussion in the Thursday night debate on Fox. The network is limiting its debate to the top 10 candidates in the polls. It will have a separate event for those who don't qualify.

Robinson advises the Republicans not in the top 10 to 'act like serious presidential candidates, which they are, and show people why they should be included in the debate.”

'They have to make sure they have an appropriate mind-set going into it and not feel that they are being disrespected,” he says.

Hagle and Robinson will watch to see how the GOP field handles Donald Trump, who will not be participating in the Monday forum. It will depend on what the moderator asks. If he asks them to respond to something Trump said, Hagle says the best answer may be along the lines of 'I don't want to talk about Trump, here's my plan …”

Hagle doubts the candidates will want to make the forum about someone who isn't there - unless that's Hillary Clinton.

One way to take the focus off Trump, Robinson says, will be to talk about the Democratic front-runner.

Robinson doubts anyone will go after Trump directly because 'if you mention him by name he will strike back with a vengeance.”

'Even if he's not mentioned by name, people will know who they are talking about,” he says.

Candidates who have committed to participate Monday are: Jeb Bush, Marco Rubio, Carly Fiorina, Chris Christie, Bobby Jindal, Scott Walker, Ben Carson, John Kasich, George Pataki, Rand Paul, Ted Cruz, Rick Santorum, Rick Perry and Lindsey Graham.

ABOUT THE FORUM

' What: Voters First Forum featuring Republican presidential candidates

' Where: St. Anselm College, Manchester, N.H.

' When: 6 p.m. (Iowa time) today

' TV: Watch live on KCRG-TV 9.2 and C-SPAN

' Online: TheGazette.com and KCRG.com also will provide coverage

' Participants: Jeb Bush, Ben Carson, Chris Christie, Ted Cruz, Carly Fiorina, Lindsey Graham, Bobby Jindal, John Kasich, George Pataki, ' Rand Paul, Rick Perry, Marco Rubio, Rick Santorum and Scott Walker

' Sponsors: The Gazette and KCRG-TV9, in collaboration with the New Hampshire Union Leader and the Post and Courier in Charleston, S.C.