RNC chief hopes for a more 'G-rated' GOP debate Thursday

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The head of the Republican National Committee is hoping Thursday's presidential debate will take a more presidential tone than most viewers have come to expect from the recurring spectacle.

RNC Chairman Reince Priebus said Wednesday on CNN that he's taken steps to ensure that tonight's GOP debate will be "more of a G-rated debate" than others past.

The 10th and 11th GOP debates of this primary cycle made headlines for shouting matches, name calling and genital references, prompting dismay from many political commentators. Maybe the 12th will be different.

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Priebus told CNN's Wolf Blitzer that he was "trying to find ways to reduce the temperature a little bit on this debate stage."

"It's helpful if we get maybe a look at the big picture as opposed to some of the petty fighting that goes on," he said. "We want that to be a debate that's more of a G-rated debate this time as opposed to some of the things that have been said in the past."

He suggested CNN not turn a microphone to the audience, whom he said should be instructed to "keep things a little more cool." He acknowledged, however, that the temperament of the debates in the end "comes down to the candidates."

Priebus said he had spoken with some campaigns ahead of the debate.

Recent debates have seen the candidates call each other "liar," "basket case," "con man" and "disaster," among other things. Most of the derisive rhetoric comes from front-runner Donald Trump.

In an interview aired Wednesday night on CNN, Trump said of the Thursday debate, "I think it's going to be softer."

And he predicted that, "Marco [Rubio] is going to be a different person."

Rubio briefly claimed that national spotlight when he debuted a fresh tactic, and hit Trump with a barrage of Trump-style insults at the ninth GOP debate and on the campaign trail in subsequent days. He questioned the color of Trump's skin and the length of his fingers, but it was generally poorly received and preceded a dramatic dip in Rubio's polling.

Texas Sen. Cruz, the unambiguous runner-up, now faces his final shot at gathering a critical mass of support to overtake Trump on Tuesday, when states vote in the first winner-take-all contests. Many analysts expect the race winner to emerge clearly emerge after those votes, although many say the race could continue until a contested convention in July.

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Cruz and Rubio likely will be on the offensive against Trump.

Photo: Paul Sancya, STF Marco Rubio and Donald Trump argue during the GOP presidential...

John Kasich is expected to mind his manners, as he typically does.