Republican debate highlights and analysis: Candidates squabble in Simi Valley
2024 hopefuls argued over education, spending and border security.
The second Republican debate of the 2024 presidential primary, taking place at the Ronald Reagan Presidential Library, has just come to an end.
The affair was more raucous than the first debate, which took place over a month ago. Candidates interrupted one another much more regularly and several — most notably former Vice President Mike Pence and former New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie — have directly criticized front-runner Donald Trump, who elected not to show up tonight. The two candidates from South Carolina, former U.N. ambassador Nikki Haley and Sen. Tim Scott, went after one another for their records on spending, and seemingly everyone who had the chance to take a shot at entrepreneur Vivek Ramaswamy did so.
Read below for highlights, excerpts and key moments.
Latest headlines:
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- Pence seems to be playing out the string
- Ramaswamy and Scott's debate over birthright citizenship devolves into chaotic exchange
Is this a primary or general election debate?
While Ramaswamy clearly tried to differentiate himself from Scott on the question of unions, Pence glossed over his primary challengers and shifted directly to the general election, calling for repealing the Green New Deal and criticizing Biden.
— Analysis by Leah Askarinam of 538
According to a September poll by ABC News and The Washington Post, 74 percent of Republicans said they would blame Biden and the Democrats in Congress if the government were to shut down. Just 5 percent said they would blame Republicans in Congress, and 16 percent said they would blame both equally. Five percent didn’t have an opinion or wouldn’t blame either.
—Analysis by 538
Burgum interrupts to get a word in
The moderators just tried to move on, but Burgum interrupted to make sure he got a word in. He must have read my post at the beginning of the debate that he needs to get more words in edgewise!
—Analysis by Nathaniel Rakich of 538
Americans Support Unions Generally
We're hearing a lot of anti-union talk from candidates on stage tonight, but that's not a position that a majority of Americans take. As Cooper mentioned, a majority of Americans support the current UAW strikes. More than that, support for American unions are at highs not seen in decades. When Biden visited striking workers in Michigan this week, he was visiting a state that was the first since 1965 to repeal the anti-union right-to-work laws.
-- Analysis by Monica Potts of 538
Early state check-in: South Carolina
Trump maintains a lead of 27 percentage points over Haley, his nearest competitor in South Carolina, according to polls conducted since the first debate. Haley’s average support has grown by 9 points since the first debate, while DeSantis and Scott have fallen.
According to a September survey from Beacon Research/Shaw & Co. Research/Fox Business, 69 percent of likely South Carolina Republican primary voters say they support their first-choice candidate strongly, while 28 percent say they support them only somewhat. Among those that list Trump as their first choice, 86 percent say they support him strongly, while the second-place candidate, Haley, has only 57 percent saying the same.
In a September survey by Monmouth University/The Washington Post, South Carolina primary voters are split on whether the Republican Party should nominate a candidate who agrees with them on major issues (51 percent) or one who can beat Biden (45 percent). Among voters who say they are very or somewhat conservative, selecting a candidate who can beat Joe Biden is more important by a margin of 7 and 11 percentage points, respectively. Voters who say they are moderate or liberal prefer a candidate who agrees with them on major issues by 31 percentage points.
—Analysis by 538