Immigration Battle Brews Between Cruz and Rubio

“After a Republican presidential debate in which sober policy discussions edged out the loud personality clashes that have dominated so far, the campaign’s focus narrowed on Wednesday into a battle for the party’s most conservative voters,” the New York Times reports.

“That fight, which could be the most decisive but unpredictable element of the nomination contest, increasingly appeared to be heading toward a confrontation between two first-term senators both elected with Tea Party support but who have since taken different paths: Ted Cruz of Texas and Marco Rubio of Florida.”

“The most glaring difference between the two that surfaced during the debate — and continued in interviews each gave in the hours afterward — was over the issue of immigration policy. Mr. Cruz tried to portray Mr. Rubio as a moderate beholden to the Republican establishment, while Mr. Rubio argued that his approach was the most reasonable and workable conservative solution.”