Marco Rubio "had a terrific night" at the Republican presidential debate in Houston Thursday, former Arkansas Gov. Mike Huckabee told host J.D. Hayworth on the "Newsmax TV Post-Debate Special" in an interview.
The former Arkansas governor, who dropped out of the 2016 GOP field after a poor showing in Iowa, cautioned that he was not endorsing any candidate in the race. But he offered high praise for Rubio.
"He came prepared. He was loaded with information. He was aggressive — and he stuck to attacks only on Donald Trump," Huckabee said of the first-term Florida senator. "He really didn't focus on [Ted] Cruz as he had in the past."
Rubio soared, Huckabee said, because he attacked front-runner Donald Trump for lacking specifics on what he would do to replace Obamacare and his weak response to a question on supporting Israel.
"Trump had a few good moments," he told Hayworth. "He had some good lines. He had some good comebacks. He had some rough spots to be sure — but I thought it was Marco Rubio's night."
Trump, however, made a strong point that he has hired employees — while Rubio hasn't — and regardless of the front-runner's showing, his supporters are going to stay with him, Huckabee said.
"I think he's the one who's going to surge from this," he said of Rubio. "I don't think it affects Trump's voters. They're solid."
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