It all came down to this. For many voters Monday’s debate was the last time to see the candidates talk about substantive issues before casting their ballots.
President Barack Obama and Republican Mitt Romney squared off over foreign policy issues. The candidates sparred over challenges such as the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan, Iran’s nuclear program and the recent attack on the U.S Consulate in Benghazi, Libya.
CBS’s Bob Schieffer moderated the debate in Boca Raton, Florida, which happens to be a highly sought after swing state with 29 electoral votes.
Polls indicate the election is coming down to a handful of battleground states: Florida, Ohio, Wisconsin, North Carolina, Virginia, New Hampshire, Iowa and Colorado.
Romney was widely applauded the winner in the first debate, but Obama was considered to be the winner of the second debate by a small margin.
So who won the third presidential debate? Read the live blog below from the bottom up to find out who won Monday's face-off.
11:16 p.m. ET:
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11:14 p.m. ET:
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11:07 p.m. ET:
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10:33 p.m. ET: That concludes the debate.
10:31 p.m. ET: Romney says he will take the country down a more prosperous path than President Obama's will take us down. Romney says he will balance the budget and will create 12 million dollars. America is the hope of the Earth.
10:30 p.m. ET: Obama says that Romney wants to put policies back in place that created our worse economic crisis since the Great Depression.
10:29 p.m. ET: Obama is giving his closing statement.
10:27 p.m. ET: Romney is talking about the metrics he believes indicate that the economy is in bad shape
10:26 p.m. ET:
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10:24 p.m. ET:
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10:22 p.m. ET:
#horsesandbayonets is still trending number 3 worldwide on Twitter.
— Eric Weisbrod CNN (@EricWeisbrod) October 23, 2012
10:21 p.m. ET:
.@barackobama has not visited Israel since taking office. #debates #CantAfford4More
— Andrea Saul (@andreamsaul) October 23, 2012
10:17 p.m. ET: Romney says the government doesn't make the economy grow, and he also says the biggest threat to the world is a nuclear armed Iran.
10:16 p.m. ET:
RT @ep15: @hlntv Watching debate with 75 students. Some question why drone attacks and their impact are ignored in BO answer. #HLNYourTake
— HLN News and Views (@HLNTV) October 23, 2012
10:15 p.m. ET: Obama says terrorists will continue to be one of the biggest threats to America.
10:13 p.m. ET:
Obama: After a decade at war, it's time to do some nation building back at home. #HLNYourTake ow.ly/eGyYl
— HLN News and Views (@HLNTV) October 23, 2012
10:12 p.m. ET:
RT @iamsophianelson: Brilliant strategy by Obama campaign to show Gov. Romney as having #Romnesia & being "Reckless & Wrong". #HLNYourTake
— HLN News and Views (@HLNTV) October 23, 2012
10:10 p.m. ET: Romney says we can't give up on Pakistan, because they have nuclear weapons that can fall in the hands of terrorists.
10:08 p.m. ET: Bob Schieffer asks Romney is it time for America to divorce Pakistan.
10:07 p.m. ET: Obama says we are in a position we can start with our transition out of Afghanistan, but we need to be responsible with that transition.
10:04 p.m. ET: Bob Schieffer asks about how America will withdraw troops from Afghanistan. Romney says he will bring our troops home from Afghanistan by 2014.
9:59 p.m. ET:
"Mr. President, America has not dictated other nations. We have freed other nations from dictators" #Romney fxn.ws/Rs3YvS #LynnDebate
— Fox News (@FoxNews) October 23, 2012
9:58 p.m. ET:
Fact-check: Romney said Obama was "silent" on Iran uprisings. There's some truth to that, but it's not the whole story nyti.ms/RYCfpo
— The New York Times (@nytimes) October 23, 2012
9:55 p.m. ET: Obama says he will continue to put the pressure on Iran to make sure they don't get a nuclear weapon.
9:52 p.m. ET: Obama says we have to make sure all the countries participate in applying sanctions against Iran including Russia and China.
9:49 p.m. ET:
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9:47 p.m. ET: Romney says when he is president he will stand with Israel, and will impose crippling sanctions on Iran to keep them from developing a nuclear weapon.
9:45 p.m. ET: Obama says he will stand with Israel if they are attacked, and as long as I am president Iran will not get a nuclear weapon.
9:44 p.m. ET: Obama is talking about budget cuts and how Romney's math doesn't add up.
9:42 p.m. ET:
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9:38 p.m. ET: Bob Schieffer asks Romney how he plans to balance the budget without cutting the defense budget. Romney says he will audit government programs and says he will get rid of the ones we can't afford.
9:37 p.m. ET:
Mitt Romney just found a way to bash teacher's unions during a foreign policy debate.#current2012 #finaldebate
— John Fugelsang (@JohnFugelsang) October 23, 2012
9:33 p.m. ET: Romney says he can help out here at home by creating 12 million new jobs.
9:32 p.m. ET: Obama says we need to lead by example with our economy, health care, and energy plan.
9:31 p.m. ET: Romney says we need to be strong and stand up for our beliefs.
9:30 p.m. ET:
#Debates: neck & neck on @twitter. Mentions: Romney: 286,139 tweets Obama: 263,548 tweets
— Diane Sawyer (@DianeSawyer) October 23, 2012
9:29 p.m. ET: Bob Schieffer asked Romney what he thinks America's role should be in the world.
9:28 p.m. ET:
#HLNYourTake you said Russia. Everytime you offered an opinion its been wrong. Quit beating him up Mr. President.
— LuckietheFreelancer (@Imsoluckie) October 23, 2012
9:27 p.m. ET:
#Obama & #Romney may have different plans, but both lead to an increase in military spending & debt. #debate
— Gov. Gary Johnson (@GovGaryJohnson) October 23, 2012
9:26 p.m. ET: Obama says we need to strengthen our own economy to lead the world
9:22 p.m. ET: Romney says Syria is an opportunity for America to lead the world.
9:21 p.m. ET:
Stop congratulating Obama for killing Bin Laden. The Navy Seals killed Bin Laden. #debate
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) October 23, 2012
9:20 p.m. ET: Obama says the Libyan people stand with us.
9:16 p.m. ET: Obama says we must coordinate our response with our partners in the region including Israel and Turkey.
9:15 p.m. ET: Bob Schieffer is asking about the civil war in Syria.
9:14 p.m. ET: The candidates are arguing over whether Romney said he thinks we should still have troops in Iraq.
9:13 p.m. ET:
Am I the only one uncomfortable with how dumbed-down American government is? "LET'S GET THE BAD GUYS! LET'S GET 'EM!" #Debate
— Tyler Oakley (@tyleroakley) October 23, 2012
9:11 p.m. ET: Obama says that Romney wants to duplicate American's foreign policy for the 1980s.
9:10 p.m. ET: Romney says we need to help countries in the Middle East build civilizied societies.
9:09 p.m. ET:
First question: Let’s hear your rehearsed responses on Libya.
— Josh Greenman (@joshgreenman) October 23, 2012
9:08 p.m. ET: Obama says he will bring the people responsible for the attack in Libya to justice.
9:07 p.m ET: Romney says we need a plan to help the Muslim world reject extremism.
9:06 p.m. ET:
#HLNYourTake I don't think these #debates really make a difference, its late in the race and most people have already decided on their man.
— LuckietheFreelancer (@Imsoluckie) October 23, 2012
9:04 p.m. ET: Schieffer is asking Romney about his thoughts on the the recent attack on the U.S Consulate in Benghazi, Libya
9:01 p.m. ET: Bob Schieffer is introducing the candidates.
8:55 p.m. ET:
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