Last night’s Republican Debate was the second of the 2024 cycle. The debate was at the Ronald Reagan Presidential Library in Simi Valley, California, and featured seven candidates who hope to join the ranks of former President Reagan as President of the United States.
With a new debate came new qualifications: Candidates must have at least 50,000 unique donors (up from 40,000), candidates must poll at 3% or higher in at least two national polls, two must be from one of the first four primary states, and all candidates must sign the loyalty pledge. This pledge says that no matter what happens, a Republican hopeful will support the eventual nominee in November of 2024.
The lineup from last night's debate was very similar to August's debate except for former Arkansas Governor Asa Hutchinson who did not meet two of the three qualifications. North Dakota Governor Doug Burgum; former New Jersey Governor Chris Christie, Florida Governor Ron DeSantis; former South Carolina Governor and UN Ambassador Nikki Haley; and former Indiana Governor and Vice President Mike Pence were all governors who made an appearance. Entrepreneur Vivek Ramaswamy and South Carolina Senator Tim Scott also appeared at last night's debate.
Loser: Doug Burgum
Despite having the least to lose in the debate, Burgum forced himself out of character by jumping on questions that weren’t asked of him and interrupting moderators from the beginning. He gave solid points about education and values that he promotes as Governor, but it was all undone by his incessant interruptions of other candidates. Burgum didn’t do himself any favors and while the odds of him getting the nomination are low, it looks to be even further out of reach after the second debate.
Loser: Chris Christie
Christ Christie did not have a horrific showing at last night's debate, in fact, some might say he had a good showing. However, Christie did not provide any new solutions to current problems, and instead just spoke about his disdain for former President Donald Trump. Sure, it wasn’t all bad, but the corny one-liners made him sound out of touch, and again, he didn’t add much.
Winner: Ron DeSantis
Ron DeSantis once again had a good performance at the debate, but this time may have been even better. Although he was attacked on stage for health insurance issues in his home state of Florida, DeSantis took the heat and threw it right back at his critics, particularly Nikki Haley. DeSantis touted his record, military experience, and upbringing, which could help him in a campaign that critics believe makes him appear out of touch with the average American.
Note: DeSantis called out former President Donald Trump for not appearing at last night's debate. This could hurt the Florida Governor in some ways, but help him in others.
Loser: Nikki Haley
After a strong first debate, it seems that Nikki Haley fell off slightly during the second debate. Despite taking the attack to her opponents, Haley herself remained indignant when attacked often reverting to simple denials when pressed on issues. While it makes sense to go after your opponents while balancing your vision, she became visibly angered when challenged and her discomfort showed.
Loser: Mike Pence
Mike Pence had his moments of brilliance, but that is all they were, moments. Like Christie, Pence did not add anything special to the table, and one moment in particular may have put him solidly in the losing category. When asked about repealing Obamacare, Pence instead spoke about expanding the laws for the death penalty.
Note: Regardless of one's stance on Trump, Pence has consistently opposed his former running mate throughout the campaign. However, Pence has touted his record with Trump as a talking point.
Winner: Vivek Ramaswamy
Vivek Ramaswamy once again was a star at the debate for his outsider status and ability to hold his own against experienced politicians. Ramaswamy brought new approaches to long-standing issues while praising the traditional American beliefs of freedom, liberty, and success. Throughout his campaign, Ramaswamy has proven to be very rhetorically talented by standing for his beliefs, taking challenges well from his opponents, and even making Nikki Haley look out of touch.
Winner: Tim Scott
Tim Scott flipped his soft-spoken, easygoing demeanor from a more combative and energetic performance in the second debate. He took the attack to Nikki Haley, Vivek Ramaswamy, and Mike Pence while offering his own solutions to the issues as well. Scott struck a good blend of attacking and emphasizing his ideas and the only area where he lost points was that he was also prone to interrupting the moderators and his constituents but overall, he had arguably the strongest performance of the night.
After last night’s debate, former President Donald Trump remains the frontrunner by a mile despite not making an appearance at either debate. Instead, Trump was speaking to the striking United Auto Workers Union in Michigan, a state Trump narrowly won in 2016 and narrowly lost in 2020. During the last debate he missed, former President Trump had an interview with former Fox News host, Tucker Carlson.
Meanwhile, there is still a battle for second place in the polls. Although the polling results tend to be different across the early primary states, DeSantis, Haley, and Ramaswamy are duking it out for second. The next Republican debate will be on November 8th in Miami, FL, the home state of DeSantis and Trump, that many believe has moved from a right-leaning swing state to a solidly red state.
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