Who won the Republican presidential debate?
Did You Know Who won the Republican presidential debate?. The first Republican presidential debate was an animated affair in which the eight candidates engaged in heated debate.
Life without Donald Trump, the consummate showman, was not as boring as some people had thought it would be. During the 2016 primary debates in Wisconsin, the eight candidates showed they could stir up some excitement even without the former president’s help. He may have been the party’s lifeline during those debates.
But while some candidates stood out from the crowd, others appeared to be floundering in the background.
Here is a list of who won and who lost.
WINNERS
Vivek Ramaswamy: The man who didn’t vote for a president from 2004 to 2020, let alone run for public office, simply dominated this Republican debate.
He often seemed to be the only contestant on stage who was having fun, with a wide smile and a quick tongue. That may be partially due to the fact that this political novice has exceeded expectations and is essentially using house money while he assumes the spotlight.
He successfully repelled jabs from his rivals, who claimed that Mr. Christie was trying out for a show on the left-leaning MSNBC news channel and that Ms. Haley was vying for positions on the defense contractors’ board of directors with her views on Ukraine.
During a discussion of climate change, he asserted, “I’m the only person on stage who isn’t bought and paid for,” to the chagrin of his opponents.
Mr. Ramaswamy repeatedly cast himself as the outsider competing against a group of insiders from the political establishment. Many of his beliefs, such as urging Ukraine to hand over territory to Russia, securing the US-Mexico border with military force, and forbidding US corporations from doing business with China, fall far outside the Republican Party’s political mainstream. However, as Mr. Trump showed in 2016, attention can be gained by making even the most absurd and impractical policy proposals.
The evening’s debate made it clear that Mr. Ramaswamy will continue to play a role in this race in the coming months, even if he lacks the political clout to take on Mr. Trump for the nomination or even wants to.
Mike Pence: The seasoned politician, who has held office as a governor, a congressman, and vice president, still has some fight in him.
Despite the fact that his presidential campaign has stalled—he is despised by Trump supporters and mistrusted by Trump detractors—his previous debate experience helped him on Wednesday night.
He attacked Mr. Ramaswamy’s lack of experience right away, declaring that “on-the-job training” was not appropriate at the moment.
He made a forceful, moral argument for national restrictions on abortion. That probably won’t play well in the general election of the following year. However, it might help him win over evangelical Republicans, who have the power to tip the scales in crucial states like South Carolina and Iowa where the choice of the party’s nominee matters a lot.
Mr. Pence had the final word during the second half of the debate when Mr. Trump was brought up. He claimed that on January 6, 2021, he put the Constitution first by refusing to have the election results overturned at Mr. Trump’s request. Even a few of his competitors spoke up for him.
However, for at least one night, Mr. Pence demonstrated why many conservative Republicans once thought he was presidential material despite the fact that his campaign still faces significant obstacles on the fundamental levels.
Nikki Haley: The former US ambassador to the UN has a reputation for catching people off guard. Even when she ran against more seasoned Republican candidates for governor of South Carolina, she has never lost a race for office.
She distinguished herself on Wednesday night by sharply criticizing both Mr. Trump and the Republican Party as a whole early on.
She referred to the enormous US budget deficit as “Republicans did this to you too.”. “They need to stop borrowing and spending. “.
Speaking about the former president, she declared that Mr. Trump was the “most disliked politician in America” and issued a warning that the Republican Party would suffer as a result in the general election.
She displayed a fighting will as well. Regarding US aid to Ukraine, which she supports, she disagreed with Mr. Ramaswamy. In their disagreement over abortion, she also criticized Mr. Pence, describing his calls for a nationwide ban on abortion as unreal and bad for politics.
Even if she isn’t able to lead the field this time, the 51-year-old may be well-positioned for future presidential runs in years when there isn’t a clear favorite.
LOSERS.
Ron DeSantis: At the beginning of the year, it seemed as though the Republican nomination would come down to a two-man race between Mr. DeSantis and Mr. Trump. The governor of Florida has seen a decline in the polls since that time.
If the rest of the Republican pack hasn’t caught up to him yet, it very well could after this debate.
It wasn’t a bad performance; he had some good points, especially when talking about his military service history and his calls for more aggressive government action to combat the opioid epidemic.
But at no point during the crucial moments of the debate did he participate. Around him, Mr. Ramaswamy made endless circles. Rival candidates Mr. Pence and Ms. Haley sidestepped him on issues like abortion and US aid to Ukraine. When the conversation shifted to Mr. Trump and his most recent indictments, he appeared to be standing awkwardly.
A performance like this was not necessary to overtake Mr. Trump.
Asa Hutchinson and Doug Burgum: the former governor of Arkansas, and Doug Burgum were the last two candidates to secure a spot in the Milwaukee debate. In order to get enough people to donate $1 to his campaign, North Dakota Governor Doug Burgum used a ploy that promised them a $20 gift card in exchange for their support.
Both candidates were frequently afterthoughts who urgently needed to demonstrate their merit in order to win the election.
Mr. Hutchinson’s criticisms of Mr. Trump came off as weak sauce in comparison to Mr. Christie’s more pointed criticisms. Additionally, Mr. Burgum’s small-state conservatism never really stood out.
The qualifications standards for the California primary debate, which will take place later this month, will be higher, and neither candidate did enough on Wednesday night to win the kind of support that will be required to increase the likelihood of returning to the debate stage.