Haley spars with Republican rivals at 3rd primary debate as Trump still looms

Christie, asked why he should lead the party rather than Trump, largely focused on the global challenges the U.S. is facing, including the Israel-Gaza war and Russia's invasion of Ukraine.

"Tonight, we need to decide which president is going to be the one to tackle the big issues. Who's going to make this country look once again, not just inward, but look outward at the world and say, 'America is the country, the indispensable nation, that makes this a safer world'?" Christie said. "And in a safer world, American innovation, American hard work has always been the thing that has driven our country to greater things. I'm going to be the president who will do those big things."

On Trump, Christie said at the end of his answer, "Anybody who's gonna be spending the next year and a half of their life focusing on keeping themselves out of jail and courtrooms cannot lead this party." (Trump denies wrongdoing.)

-ABC News' Alexandra Hutzler

Ramaswamy took a swipe at the media, claiming that it was "corrupt" and had played up a "hoax" about Trump's relationship with Russia, an apparent reference to the Department of Justice's investigation of the Trump campaign's ties with Russian nationals. He even tried to ask the moderators to answer for this. Ramaswamy essentially took a page out of former House Speaker Newt Gingrich's 2012 debate approach. In the 2012 Republican primary, Gingrich regularly attacked the "elite media" during his debate appearances, and he ended up surging in the polls at two different points in the campaign, even managing to win the South Carolina and Georgia (his home state) primaries.

--Analysis by Geoffrey Skelley of 538

Haley indirectly swiped at Trump over growing economic hardships and his foreign policies, arguing that he has waffled on support for Ukraine amid Russia's invasion.

She also targeted the former president over his gripes over the 2020 election, arguing, "We can't live in the past, we can't live in other headlines."

-ABC News' Tal Axelrod

Asked why he should be the GOP nominee instead of Trump, Ramaswamy continued going after Trump, like others on stage, responding: "We've become a party of losers."

"We got trounced last night in 2023," Ramaswamy said, referring to Tuesday's disappointments for conservatives in Kentucky, Ohio and Virginia, adding that there needs to be "accountability in our party."

-ABC News' Meredith Deliso