GOP Debate Winners, Losers, and Absentees

In the shadow of former President Donald Trump’s truancy, eight debaters wrangled for the rest of the Republican electorate with varying success. At the center of the stage were Florida Governor Ron DeSantis and successful biotech entrepreneur Vivek Ramaswamy. They were flanked by former South Carolina Governor and United Nations Ambassador Nikki Haley and former Indiana Governor and Vice President Mike Pence. Further towards the corner of the stage were South Carolina Senator Tim Scott and former New Jersey governor Chris Christie. The two lowest-polling candidates stood at opposite ends of the stage: North Dakota Governor and billionaire software businessman Doug Burgum, and Asa Hutchinson, the former Arkansas Governor.

The candidates sparred frequently, with most fights involving Vivek Ramaswamy. Seasoned politicians such as Haley, Christie, and Pence criticized Ramaswamy’s lack of government experience. However, the trio’s apparent shared goal of battering down Ramaswamy gave the political rookie lots of air time. The successful, thirty-eight-year-old businessman and political outsider evoked Trump’s rise during the GOP debates in 2016, instigating fights among fellow candidates and drawing both applause and boos from the crowd.

Ron DeSantis, who polls second to Trump, mainly stayed away from the disorder between candidates, and while he didn’t feature as prominently as Ramaswamy or Pence, the Florida Governor was left unscathed. By avoiding his fellow candidates’ infighting, he appeared above their disorder, resulting in his fairly cogent performance. He should, however, stand up more forcefully against Trump.

Nikki Haley was among the winners of the debate, leveling with voters on issues such as abortion, education, and the federal fiscal crisis, and forcefully deconstructing Ramaswamy’s divisive isolationist foreign policy. In the latter, the former Ambassador admirably articulated the value of supporting Ukraine in the war against Russia and how, unlike Ramaswamy’s view, the U.S. should defend Ukraine as a means of deterring China from invading Taiwan. Haley competently and clearly explained her positions with evident conviction (a quality that lacks in candidates who are unwilling to lambast Trump). While she has struggled in polling prior to this debate, sitting around fourth or fifth place, Haley should see a jump in donations and polling based on her laudable performance.

Mike Pence featured prominently, criticizing Ramaswamy’s youth and inexperience, praising his record as Vice President, and voicing both his traditional conservative values and his dedication to the pro-life cause. While Ramaswamy sounded over-excited and bombastic, Pence sounded staid and dependable. While his controversial view on abortion leaves him susceptible to losing a general election, Pence was a voice of reason against Ramaswamy’s bluster.

Chris Christie, who has campaigned mainly as an anti-Trump wrecking ball, mocked Ramaswamy as “the candidate who sounds like ChatGPT” and admirably stated the truth that Trump’s conduct, regardless of the validity of the indictments, was indefensible and below the office of the President. The crowd, in response to Christie’s numerous attacks on Trump, emitted boos; this adverse reaction likely suggests that Haley’s approach of being honest with voters without fully condemning the former President is likely the best route to defeating Trump. Tim Scott, like Christie, had a quieter debate, and while he was able to share parts of his background as a child growing up in poverty, he failed to present himself as formidably as Haley. Candidates Asa Hutchinson and Doug Burgum did not make the splash at the debate needed to justify the protraction of their respective candidacies.

Middlesex should care deeply about this 2024 Republican Primary, as the party and the nation is at an inflection point: this is a chance to cast Trump out of national races permanently and pit a younger, more unifying figure against Biden. It is my hope that the low-polling candidates (Burgum, Hutchinson, and perhaps Scott) drop out of the race soon so that an anti-Trump candidate can make the urgent case that a Biden-Trump election rematch would be disastrous. As the Primary and its debates roll on, Middlesex and the nation should pay attention to this democratic process.

George Thornton