When Republican candidates took the stage in Milwaukee, they had a golden opportunity: a chance to have their voices heard without Donald Trump running roughshod over time limits and absorbing the majority of time speaking. And yet, so many of them sounded like they were fishing for soundbites and playing to the stereotype of the MAGA voter. They didn’t slay the golden goose. They killed their golden opportunity.
Strangest Ideological Shift: Asa Hutchison. One of the most moderate candidates on the stage, the former Arkansas Governor clearly pivoted to the right, where most of the other candidates are. This is not what you do when you barely qualify for the debate. But his answer about cooperation with Mexico on dealing with drug cartels was one of the best of the night.
Most Airing Of Grievances: Ron DeSantis. I think the Florida Governor’s campaign told him to sound angry as means of looking less wooden than he has been in the past. But without showing a change of pace in expressing himself, DeSantis just seemed more upset about his sliding poll numbers and how that’s become a major news story in this primary season.
Most Like Kevin Spacey in ‘House of Cards’: Ron DeSantis. I am sure the press will give points to DeSantis for his sharp, angry retorts in every answer. And I feel though he was better than most in reading the crowd. I just think he’s already undermined himself by taking positions and signing laws that make him unelectable.
Biggest Play For Trump Support: Mike Pence. This was a surprise, how Trump supporters threatened Pence, repeating the Trump-Pence line on so many policies until January 6 was discussed. The “Trump-Pence Administration” phrase was repeatedly invoked. Vivek Ramaswamy gets the Honorable Mention here for aping Trump’s style, but that was expected.
Biggest Disappointment: Tim Scott. I really expected he would step forward to take up the mantle as the top contender to Trump, displacing Ron DeSantis. But his answers were long and meandering. He tried to excuse this as being slow-spoken. He sounded unprepared. The Honorable Mention goes to Governor Doug Burgum whose final answer never seemed to end.
Best Line: Chris Christie knocking Vivek Ramaswamy for sounding like ChatGPT. Nobody sounded more like an artificially intelligent politician than Ramaswamy. And as some claim, there’s a growing realization that some A.I. generated write-ups can be inaccurate too.
Big Winner: Nikki Haley. The former South Carolina Governor managed to mix sticking to her guns on her core issues, along with pragmatism (on most issues) when it came to recognizing that the party needs to reach beyond the MAGA crowd to win some independents.
Overall Analysis: For each of these candidates, they needed to show how they had a plan not only to wrest the nomination from Donald Trump, but also to reach out to voters beyond the reddest part of the Republican base. Most candidates failed to do that.
Haley and Christie were the ones seeking the nomination who recognized the need to win the White House in 2024, by reaching out to others beyond the Fox News viewership. Yet they were frequently steamrolled by the crowd’s boos as well as the other candidates seeking to curry favor with the MAGA base. The party has fallen further out of the mainstream, with comments about climate change being a “hoax” and policies on abortion; polls show a majority support some abortion restrictions, but most Americans support abortion rights and reject the GOP’s harsh positions. Given the perception most folks have of the closeness of Fox and the Republican Party, the “UFO Question” further cements the right as the ideology of the conspiracy theory. MSNBC was positively giddy afterwards.
Given the perception most folks have of the closeness of Fox and GOP, the “UFO Question” further cements the right as the ideology of the conspiracy theory. MSNBC was positively giddy afterwards.
Though we may disagree over who was the tactical winner of the Milwaukee debate, the strategic victor was Donald Trump, who is unlikely to see a strong challenger emerge, or even face any sort of unity from his opponents on issues like Ukraine, China, and holding the former president accountable.
I thought his absence would give his rivals a boost. I was wrong.
John A. Tures is Professor of Political Science and Coordinator of the Political Science Program at LaGrange College, in LaGrange, Georgia.