The question, posed immediately after Thursday’s CNN Debate by so many pundits, is why on earth did Marco Rubio wait until the tenth debate to truly take the fight to Donald Trump?
There is no doubt that the longstanding GOP front-runner emerged more bruised from the Texas debate than any to date. Constantly attacked from either side by Rubio and Ted Cruz, Trump was taken to task over his previous hiring of illegal immigrants, obfuscation in releasing his tax returns, a swathe of liberal policy positions and the embarrassing history of Trump University.
Betfair markets immediately roared approval of Rubio’s new aggressive stance. As they exchanged blows on the stage, his odds for the Republican Nomination shortened markedly from 4.5 to 3.5, equating to a rise in probability from 22% to 28%. In contrast, Trump drifted from 1.38 (72%) to 1.51 (66%).