Republican presidential hopefuls clash during fiery debate

US Republican presidential candidates have once again had a fierce battle during a fiery debate three days ahead of New Hampshire primary.

During the Saturday debate at Saint Anselm College in Manchester, 44-year-old Florida senator Marco Rubio was heavily criticized for being too inexperienced for the White House.

Rubio “does not have the experience to be president of the United States and make these decisions," said New Jersey Governor Chris Christie.

"When you're president of the United States, when you're a governor of a state, the memorized 30-second speech where you talk about how great America is at the end of it doesn't solve one problem for one person," Christie stated.

In response, Rubio criticized Christie for his character and integrity.

"Chris, your state got hit with a massive snowstorm two weeks ago; you didn't even want to go back. They had to shame you into going back," Rubio said with the crowd booing him.

He said that "the experience is not just what you did but how it worked out. Under Chris Christie's governorship of New Jersey, they've been downgraded nine times in their credit rating."

Florida Governor Jeb Bush compared Rubio's experience in the Senate with that of President Barack Obama, who also was a first-term senator when he took office.

By electing Obama, the United States got "soaring eloquence," but few results, he noted.

Donald Trump clashed with Jeb Bush over the use of eminent domain to seize private lands for projects for the public good.

Trump called eminent domain "a good thing," saying, it was necessary to constructing roads, bridges, schools and hospitals. "Certainly, it's a necessity for our country."

However, Bush said Trump used “eminent domain to try to take the property of an elderly woman on the strip in Atlantic City. That is not public purpose. That is downright wrong."

Trump also called for a kinder approach to those who might lose their health insurance if Republicans repeal Obamacare.

"There will be a certain number of people who will be on the street dying, and as a Republican I don't want that to happen," he said.

Polls show Trump leading in New Hampshire, which is the second of the state-by-state nominating contests to select candidates in the Nov. 8 election.

Rubio is catching up fast after an astonishingly strong third-place finish on Monday in Iowa, behind US Senator Ted Cruz and Trump.

Trump, unlike previous Republican debates, was not the center of attention on social media during the debate on Saturday.

Rubio had the highest share of conversations on Twitter with 25 percent as of midway through the debate. He was followed by Trump and Cruz at 22 and 19 percent respectively.

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