On September 27th, the second Republican presidential debate was held at the Ronald Reagan Presidential Library in Simi Valley, CA. The seven candidates present were Ron DeSantis, Nikki Haley, Vivek Ramaswamy, Mike Pence, Tim Scott, Chris Christie, and Doug Burgum, with Governor Asa Hutchinson being the only non-qualifier from the first debate. Notably, former President Donald Trump was yet again not present for the debate.
Following a relatively mellow first debate, the knives were out this time around, with the candidates more willing to criticize each other to establish themselves as the challenger to Trump’s lead. However, this meant that most of the debate was spent with the candidates talking over each other, as the hosts were unable to control the manner of the debate.
The absence of President Trump is noteworthy as he leads the race by nearly 50 points on average. Gov. Christie was one of the few candidates on the stage to directly attack Trump, saying his new nickname should be “Donald Duck.” Both Christie and DeSantis criticized Trump for not showing up to the debate, with DeSantis calling Trump “missing in action.” The others were mostly shy in throwing insults at the former President, despite Trump leading the race.
The debate covered many key issues, some receiving mixed stances. On the topic of abortion, all of the candidates took pro-life stances, with only Burgum, Christie, and Ramaswamy publicly stating that they wouldn’t support a federal abortion ban. On the economy, they were quick to attack Bidenomics, and Pence was eager to latch onto the successes of the Trump Administration in this regard. On illegal immigration, nearly all of the candidates expressed the need for stronger control over the southern border, as well as a border wall. When asked if any particular issues could be considered “losing issues,” Ms. Lewis, an English teacher on campus explained, “I think what’s happening is that they’re taking abortion, they’re taking wokeness, they’re taking education, they’re taking Black Lives Matter, they’re taking the LGBTQ issues, and they’re creating all these separate things. So that if you’re in this group, and I’m in this group, they’re pitting us against one another.”
Among students, Vivek Ramaswamy seemed to be the most polarizing candidate, with his demeanor and views on climate change cited. DeSantis and Haley were the two candidates on the stage that impressed more than others. Ms. Lewis had to say, “I think Chris Christie is the best of the worst.”
There are a lot of questions to be answered in the GOP before the 2024 elections are held. Following the debate, on October 3rd, House Speaker Kevin McCarthy was removed from his position by a 216 to 210 vote. Rep. Mat Gaetz along with seven other Republicans and all of the Democrats, voted to remove McCarthy from his post. This was the first time a Speaker was removed from office in the history of our nation. As of October 13th, a new House Speaker has yet to be elected.
From Trump’s legal troubles to a divide between its Representatives in the House, and also the obstacle of beating Biden the second time around, the Republican party will have to get things figured out to avoid another disappointing election cycle following the midterms.
While this article can’t go in-depth with the views of each candidate, readers should research which candidates’ ideas and views appeal to them. For anyone who missed it or wants to watch the debate again, the link to the full debate is found here, and a condensed 20-minute highlight is found here.
