HOUSTON – Voters offered real time reaction to the debate at the University of Houston Thursday night during a digital town hall meeting in the KPRC 2 News studio.
Khambrel Marshall hosted the event and it was organized with the help of the League of Women Voters, Houston.
"I think what voters are hoping for ... now that the field has narrowed, is a little bit more substance," said the league's Reda Hicks.
Hicks said finding substance can be hard when there are big personalities in the race. Those who closely watch politics said the candidates’ responses can show leadership.
"He's starting to push back and show that leadership because I think that's what the people are really interested in looking at," UH assistant political science professor Elizabeth Simas said.
Simas said voters were looking for signs of a strong leader who would be strong against the Republican Party's Democratic opponent in November. Rubio said Trump was the only candidate on the stage who had hired an illegal worker. Trump said he was the only candidate to hire anyone -- ever.
"The problem why we have all these illegals coming in the country is because the big businesses wanna hire them," Gary Polland, the former chair of the Harris County Republican Party, said.
App users, click here to follow along.
Hear some of the reaction from the KPRC 2 Town Hall:
LIVE reactions to #GOPdebate from #KPRC2 Town Hall! #DebateAtUH More --> http://bit.ly/1oCVCHu
Posted by KPRC2 / Click2Houston on Thursday, February 25, 2016