CNBC Undercard Republican Debate: Live Coverage

Harry: Graham Stephanie: Bobby J. Leah: Santorum Ella: graham Hayley: Jindal Carl: Graham Blythe: Graham Andrew: Graham Jody: Henry Louis Gates Jr. Nate: I wouldn’t drink a fucking Coors light. Maybe a Fat Tire.

Rick Santorum is trying to explain why he has changed some positions from his 2012 campaign. What’s perhaps most amazing about Santorum isn’t that he’s polling so poorly nationally, but that he’s not that well liked in the state that launched his last bid, Iowa. In the latest Des Moines Register survey, Santorum ranks eighth in favorable ratings among Republicans. His favorable rating is 33 percentage points behind Ben Carson’s.

Jindal said the most important part of his tax plan is the 2 percent tax rate he’d impose on those Americans who currently pay no income tax, saying “everyone should pay something.” However, people who don’t pay income tax still often pay payroll tax, sales tax, and state and local tax. Citizens for Tax Justice estimated that in 2011, the poorest 20 percent of Americans had an average income of $13,000 and paid 12.3 percent of that to state and local taxes.