MoreWatch Marco Rubio Repeat The Same Line Four TimesMarco Rubio Drives Internet Chatter During Republican DebateVote Now: Who Won the Eighth Republican Presidential Debate? Marco Rubio’s polished debate performances helped lift him into serious contention for the Republican nomination. Now a rocky performance onstage Saturday night in New Hampshire could slow his momentum. Just 72 hours before polls close in New Hampshire, Rubio was roughed up by Chris Christie in a series of exchanges that amplified rivals’ claims that he is a callow candidate who relies on scripted rhetoric.