Without Trump, candidates aim fire at Clinton, not each other

In the absence of Donald Trump, Republican presidential contenders turned their fire on Hillary Clinton, Barack Obama and the Democrats rather than each other.The first primetime Republican presidential debate without the billionaire businessman featured more policy and fewer personal attacks as seven leading candidates made their closing arguments Thursday night, only days before the Iowa caucuses.

But that doesn't mean that the man Fox News co-moderator Megyn Kelly called the "elephant not in the room" was totally without impact on the event. His name was mentioned whenever one of the debaters wanted to go for some comic relief. And immigration, the issue has defined Trump's campaign, led to the most fireworks.