From Eli Stokols writing at Politico:
Five weeks ago, Donald Trump decided to hold a New Hampshire town hall just 19 miles from where Jeb Bush was doing the same. It was a power move, coming just as the summer feud between GOP front-runners past and present was heating up, intended to set up a split-screen contrast of crowd size, passion and energy.
On Wednesday night, Bush and Trump were back, again hosting dueling events in this early-voting state — but the thrill is all gone. The drama and consequence of their exceedingly personal sparring, so palpable in late summer, has faded, offering more evidence of just how fluid the Republican primary fight remains and how quickly candidates’ fortunes and the overall landscape can shift.
Although polls still show Trump atop the field in New Hampshire and nationally, his support is starting to recede. Bush, whose huge financial advantage all but guarantees his staying power, can’t rise above single digits but is working quietly to pick up important activists, filling his time between public events sitting down with business owners and activists hoping to secure commitments to carry him into the next phase.
After the summer’s made-for-TV catfight, both candidates seem less concerned about each other, girding instead for what’s sure to be a brutal endurance test that is really just beginning.
Read the rest of the story at Politico.
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