Last night was the third Republican Debate, this time taking place in Miami, Florida. As compared to the past two debates, there were only five Republicans on stage last night. Florida Governor Ron DeSantis, former New Jersey Governor Chris Christie, former South Carolina Governor and UN Ambassador Nikki Haley, entrepreneur Vivek Ramaswamy, and South Carolina Senator Tim Scott were the only candidates on the stage last night.
This comes after former Vice President and Indiana Governor Mike Pence dropped out of the race, while Doug Burgum and Asa Hutchinson were not invited. As it stands now, nine major candidates are still vying for the Republican nomination.
The third Republican debate was not without its share of drama despite only five candidates making the stage. Like always, there were winners and losers in the debate, with each candidate fighting their best to be the Republican nominee now less than a year away from the Presidential Election.
Winner: Ron DeSantis
Ron DeSantis had a strong performance in last night's debate. DeSantis made solid points, particularly on foreign policy, as he promised to fight the fentanyl crisis at the border instead of deploying troops to Ukraine. The Florida Governor performed well in his home state, responding effectively to attacks from Nikki Haley about the environment, and responded with more effective attacks about her previous relations with China. DeSantis’ answers on social security and the economy were also quite effective in his attempts to stand apart from Donald Trump.
Winner: Vivek Ramaswamy
After a strange opening statement where he took swipes at the establishment conservatives and mainstream media, many wondered if Ramaswamy would once again be the main punching bag for the third debate. This could not have been more wrong, as he flipped the script and called his opponents out for their softening stances on Ukraine funding and the role of the federal government in monetary policy. Instead mixing in attacks while offering his own solutions, such as referring to his opponents as “neocon Warhawks”, likening Nikki Haley and Ron DeSantis to Dick Cheney, and calling out Nikki Haley (who supports a TikTok ban) for allowing her own daughter to use it. The Republican voters already know where he stands on the issues, but this debate proved that not only can he take the hits, but he can more than dish them out as well.
Winner: The Moderators
This may seem like a joke of an entry, but despite the attacks from the other candidates, the third debate was nowhere near as hectic as the first two. The moderators, led by NBC’s Lester Holt, did a good job cutting off the candidates when their turn was over. Holt also made sure to press candidates for answers when they tried dodging the question. The interruptions were fewer, and time limits were (mostly) followed.
Neutral: Chris Christie
Chris Christie had a solid showing at last night's debate, laying out his plans with TikTok and the Military clearly while avoiding damaging attacks from rival candidates. However, Christie’s campaign needs serious momentum (and that might be an understatement) if he wants to defeat Trump, and his passive debate performance won’t help. Sure, there was the occasional attack against his rival Republicans, and Christie did speak about his experience, but nothing stood out for Christie.
Neutral: Tim Scott
Tim Scott was a winner in the second debate but was not as strong last night. The South Carolina Senator spoke about his background and was solid on issues like TikTok and the economy, but like Christie, there was nothing special. Scott was less energetic and did not appear as engaged as he was in the last two debates, and if anything did stand out, it was that Scott spoke for long periods of time. So, while Scott was not bad, he was not great, especially with time running out to win the nomination for everyone not named Donald Trump.
Loser: Nikki Haley
Nikki Haley was used to dishing out the attacks but seemed unprepared to take the heat last night. Haley refused to acknowledge the attacks, instead rolling her eyes and trying to ignore them, but when she criticized her opponent (Vivek Ramaswamy)’s use of TikTok, she was hit with a line about her daughter’s use of it, a line which clearly took her off guard, prompting her to lash out and call him “scum”. Haley then took a few desperate swipes at Ron DeSantis over his anti-fracking policy in Florida, which DeSantis easily countered by pointing out that Haley sold land to China when she was the Governor of South Carolina. Haley had a great answer about abortion towards the end of the debate, but it’s clear that her strong and confident persona was cracked from the word “go”.
After last night's debate, polling remains the same. Former President Donald Trump still leads by a wide margin despite not showing up to any of the debates. DeSantis and Ramaswamy are still battling it out for the top three, but Haley has been polling well recently. Time will only tell what the primaries will look like in the coming months, but December’s debate in Alabama could help make or break the chances for each candidate still in the race.
Have an opposing viewpoint to this opinion? Let us know. All views are welcome. Send your thoughts to our Editorial Staff – Editor Dylan Hicks dhicks@student.dean.edu or Dean Daily Faculty Advisor, Professor John Rooke jrooke@dean.edu