Republican debate: Live updates

Welcome to the CNN live blog, where we'll be bringing you all the best moments from the debate -- on the stage, on social media and behind the scenes.

Your host for the evening is CNN political reporter Tal Kopan, who will also be bringing you insights from the whole CNN political team, both in Boulder, Colorado, and in Washington, D.C.

From CNN's Ashley Killough: Jeb backers not bolting

I've talked to four of Jeb Bush's bundlers tonight. The general consensus is that Bush did fine. They acknowledge that debates are not his forte, but they still believe the race will be determined on the ground in the early states and not on the debate stage before millions of viewers -- many of whom won't get to vote in the first contests. 

As for Bush's performance, one donor, Ken Satterlee of Austin, said the more passive style is simply his "statesmanship."  

"He’s very reticent to engage in any kind of vitriol with his fellow Republican candidates," he said. "There’s a lot of recommendation to do so, but it’s not in his nature. He is statesmanlike."

Another donor, who was a House representative under Bush and Marco Rubio, acknowledged that Rubio has strong debate skills but argued Bush is the one with the leadership and executive skills to be president. "Does a debate define how someone will serve as president? Absolutely not," Trey Traviesa said.

 

From CNN's Maeve Reston: Bush campaign confronted CNBC

A source who witnessed the Jeb Bush aide Danny Diaz-CNBC confrontation here tonight during the debate said Diaz approached the CNBC control room pounding on the door to make the producers come out mid-debate. The witness is an aide to a rival campaign.

Diaz was shouting at the producers about how there was no fairness in the time allotted to the candidates (with Bush getting so little time). Apparently CNBC had developed some kind of “fairness algorithm” to determine if the candidates were getting enough time. Mid-debate, Diaz was shouting at the producers: "What about your fairness algorithm?”  

 

News Courtesy: www.cnn.com