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.
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Yeah, Jacob — not a lot of voters are going to stay home in a swing state in a presidential election with an abortion ballot measure (maybe) on the ballot.
—Analysis by Nathaniel Rakich of 538
DeSantis on abortion
DeSantis is asked about how he'll win over pro-choice voters in states like Arizona and, while he doesn't give an actual strategy, he says he's already done it in Florida, citing his big victory in 2022. But as many have written, Florida's Republican wave last year was just as much if not more a function of Democrats just staying home altogether rather than voting for DeSantis.
-Jacob Rubashkin, 538 contributor
Dana Perino is asking about abortion policy. In an August survey conducted by SurveyMonkey for 19th News, only 15 percent of Republicans said that abortion should be illegal in all cases. A majority of Republicans said that abortion should be legal if the patient’s life is endangered (71 percent), in cases of rape or incest (68 percent), if the patient’s health is endangered (55 percent), or if the fetus is not expected to survive (52 percent). Only 19 percent of Republicans said abortion should be legal for women who do not wish to be pregnant.
—Analysis by 538
DeSantis probably didn’t turn Florida red
DeSantis just bragged that the Florida Democratic Party is in ruins and that he turned Florida into a red state. I took a closer look at this question a couple weeks ago, though, and found … not a lot of evidence that DeSantis himself is responsible for the reddening of Florida.
—Analysis by Nathaniel Rakich of 538
How some of the 2024 GOP candidates spent the day ahead of the debate
Hours before the seven Republicans who qualified for the second RNC debate would have taken the stage at the Reagan Library in Simi Valley, California, a few hopefuls shared their pre-game time rituals.
Pence got a workout in, did some light preparation work, and spent time with his wife, former Second Lady Karen Pence, daughter Charlotte and granddaughter Etta, according to a campaign adviser.
Scott spent the day with family. He took time for prayer, some devotionals, and worked out at the gym. The tune on repeat in his headphones this week has been "Way Maker" by Leeland, according to a source familiar with the campaign.
Ramaswamy had breakfast, worked out and played with his two sons Karthik and Arjun until he worked out again later, according to spokesperson and senior advisor Tricia McLaughlin. The tech entrepreneur also toured the Reagan Library, where he told reporters that he was “feeling good” ahead of the debate.
Haley's team shared the former ambassador’s playlist that she listened to before the debate. They include: