Republican debaters name the woman they would put on the $10 bill, mostly whiff

Republicans name their pick for woman on the $10 bill

(Image credit: Frederic J Brown/AFP/Getty Images)

last updated 17 September 2015

To lighten the mood, CNN's Jake Tapper asked the Republican presidential candidates during Wednesday's debate which woman they would put on the $10 bill, replacing Alexander Hamilton. Sens. Marco Rubio (Fla.) and Ted Cruz (Texas) named Rosa Parks (though Cruz wanted to put her on the $20), Gov. Scott Walker (Wis.) picked Red Cross founder Clara Barton, and Gov. Chris Christie (N.J.), puzzlingly, named former President John Adams' wife, because the Adams family has gotten short shrift.

The other answers veered between odd and terrible. Mike Huckabee picked his wife, Ben Carson his mother, and Donald Trump his daughter, Ivanka. Gov. John Kasich (Ohio) picked Mother Teresa, mostly to mention that he has met her; Jeb Bush named late British Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher, conceding that "it would probably be illegal"; and Carly Fiorina, the only woman on stage, said she wouldn't take Hamilton off the $10 bill, calling that a sop to women. So, sorry, Ben Carson's mother.

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Peter has worked as a news and culture writer and editor at The Week since the site's launch in 2008. He covers politics, world affairs, religion and cultural currents. His journalism career began as a copy editor at a financial newswire and has included editorial positions at The New York Times Magazine, Facts on File, and Oregon State University.