As Republican primaries grow closer and closer, tensions have started to rise throughout the Republican party, and all the tension was finally put on display in Milwaukee on August 23rd, when 8 of the 9 republican presidential candidate frontrunners went head to head discussing various topics that voters deem important. However, it wasn’t just about who was at the debate, there was also a void usually filled by former president Trump, who’s absence was evident in the room full of rookies. Anyways, let’s review some of the major points from each candidate.
Donald Trump- Trump’s absence at the debate, as well as upcoming trials were the elephants in the room, with one of the questions asked regarding the candidates views on Trump’s indictment and potential pardon, with very divided opinions being put on display.
Asa Hutchinson- Hutchinson was largely a nobody coming into the debate, however with his denouncement of Trump, he could definitely be a powerful candidate, and everyone should keep an eye on his progress.
Mike Pence- Pence came into the debate with very little momentum, and very little changed after the debate. His responses were original, however they lacked luster, although he targeted Ramswamy and former president Trump, drawing cheers and ire from the crowd, respectively.
Vivek Ramswamy- Ramaswany came into the debate as a nobody, and left as a power house. He was the loudest voice on the floor, with strong opinions on abortion and climate change, largely denying climate change as a hoax to control the people, as well as claiming he’s the only candidate that is not paid to tell lies about climate change. He is definitely a candidate to watch, as his performance at the debate was very strong.
Tim Scott- Scott had a lackluster performance, with little to no momentum being built up largely due to his failure to stand out.
Chris Christie- Similar to Scott, Christie sided with the majority almost every time, and failed to stand out from the rest of the candidates. His lackluster performance provides a bleak future.
Doug Burgum- Burgum was a nobody coming into the debate, and will leave in a similar way. He was hypocritical on his views of abortion, while emphasizing his small town roots, which ultimately backfired on him as he was attacked by the other candidates for being naive.
Ron DeSantis- DeSantis went into the debate with the most momentum, however his performance was mediocre at best. Most of his responses were carbon copies of responses to reporters’ questions and previous speeches, he had no originality, and killed his momentum in the polls.
Nikki Haley- Haley stood out going into the debate as the only woman, and had a performance that did not disappoint. She had strong opinions about abortion, while going after the other candidates, giving herself a following in Milwaukee that will definitely grow as we get closer to primaries.
In conclusion, the debate gave a lot of insight into the candidates, with some falling short with their performances, and others having very strong showings. I am certainly looking forward to the next debate, to see if some candidates could come back from a poor performance, and if others can continue their strong showing.