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

Americans once had fairly mixed views of China, but they have become far more negative in the past five or so years, based on data from the Pew Research Center. In 2018, 47% of Americans had an unfavorable view of China while 38% had a favorable one. But that unfavorable percentage shot up to 60% in 2019 and it's only risen further since -- a whopping 82% said they had an unfavorable view in 2022. The national security and foreign policy attacks that Republican candidates have made on China in this debate likely resonated, although Americans tend not to list overseas concerns as a top worry.

-Analysis by Geoffrey Skelley of 538

Scott, Haley and Christie sounded support for Ukraine against Russia while Ramaswamy and DeSantis were more skeptical of how much Washington should back Kyiv.

"We have been very effective using our resources and our weaponry and the very high price of Ukrainian blood to achieving that objective," Scott said of degrading Russia's military.

Still, Scott argued, "The American people are frustrated that they do not have a president who reminds us and tells us where's the accountability -- how are those dollars being spent? We need those answers for us to continue to see the support for Ukraine."

Haley said she does not support handing Ukraine cash but that the U.S. should "give them the equipment and the ammunition to win."

Christie, meanwhile, argued support for Ukraine "is the price we pay for being leaders of the free world."

Ramaswamy, who has hammered Ukraine throughout his campaign, called Ukraine corrupt.

"To frame this as some kind of battle between good and evil, don't buy it," he said.

DeSantis, meanwhile, sought to pivot to immigration but said, "We are not going to send your sons and daughters to Ukraine."

-ABC News' Tal Axelrod

Ramaswamy is different from his colleagues when it comes to Ukraine, generally arguing that the United States pull away from Ukraine’s fight against Russian invaders.

“Ukraine is not a paragon of democracy,” Ramaswamy said. “This is a country that has banned 11 opposition parties.”

His point about political parties is accurate, but it needs context.

Ukraine banned 11 pro-Russian parties -- the largest of which occupied 44 out of 450 seats in Ukraine's Parliament, according to Radio Free Europe. The party’s leader, Viktor Medvedchuk, is aligned with Russian President Vladimir Putin. Putin is the godfather of Medvedchuk's daughter, Radio Free Europe reported.

-Analysis by Aaron Sharockman of PolitiFact

Some Republicans may hope to make inroads with Jewish voters. That's a possibility, but Jewish voters remain strongly Democratic-leaning. Back in 2021, the Pew Research Center found that 71% of Jewish voters identified with or leaned toward the Democratic Party, while 26% associated with the Republican Party. Now, there are some Jewish groups who do identify more with the GOP, particularly Orthodox Jews, three-fourths of whom identified as Republicans or Republican-leaning in the Pew survey. But even if Jewish voters were to shift toward the GOP, they are likely to remain predominantly Democratic in their leanings.

-Analysis by Geoffrey Skelley of 538