Tim Scott was just asked about government spending. In a March poll by AP-NORC, 88 percent of Republicans said that the federal government is spending too much. However, in the same survey, a majority of Republicans thought the government was spending too little on some key areas, including border security (85 percent), law enforcement (67 percent), infrastructure (61 percent), Social Security (57 percent), military (57 percent) and education (52 percent).
-Analysis by FiveThirtyEight

I wrote about this earlier, but high consumer prices are probably the biggest way that Americans understand the economy. Biden's trying to make the case that overall the economy is on the upswing, and he has some data points to back him up. And there's not a lot the president can do about inflation. But voters have been sour on the economy since Biden took office. Fifty-three percent of Republican voters said getting prices under control was a top issue in a FiveThirtyEight/Washington Post/Ipsos poll released today.

— Analysis by Monica Potts of FiveThirtyEight

"Our country is in decline," DeSantis said in response to the first debate question, on the economy. "This decline is not inevitable. It's a choice. We need to send Joe Biden back to his basement and reverse American decline."

DeSantis also took a swipe at the president's son Hunter, criticizing Hunter for selling high-priced artwork while other people are struggling to afford groceries.

"It starts with understanding we must reverse Bidenomics so that middle-class families have a chance to succeed again," DeSantis said, referring to the name that the White House has used to popularize what they see as the president's successful platform.

I am here in Milwaukee in the spin room. If you think journalism is glamorous, let me disabuse you of that notion. The media is being housed in what is essentially a parking garage at the FiservForum and the bathrooms are outside porta-potties. By the way, it was a 100-degree day in Milwaukee, so just going to the bathroom is a bit of an experience. And yes, I would like some Wisconsin cheese with my whine. Anyway, I'll be quiet about the plight of the reporters, we are here to hear about the plight of Americans and what these candidates have to say about it. Let's begin!
–Analysis from Galen Druke of FiveThirtyEight

Recent election cycles have shown how debates can substantially alter a candidate’s trajectory. The debates won’t always do this, of course, and early primary polls remain relatively predictive of who will end up winning a party’s nomination. However, a candidate can earn a real polling bounce from a debate — or fall into a valley.

Primary polls are inherently more volatile than general election polls. In a general election, most voters already lean toward one party, so only a small part of the electorate is likely to shift its views over the course of a campaign. But in a primary, voters in one party may be open to multiple candidates because most contenders will share similar views on a number of issues. As a result, exposure to an unfamiliar candidate could prompt voters to begin considering that contender, while a strong or weak performance by a candidate they do know could make them look elsewhere.

For example, early in the 2012 cycle, Texas Gov. Rick Perry appeared to be now-Sen. Mitt Romney’s most serious opponent for the Republican nomination. But in a September 2011 debate, Perry defended a Texas policy that gave undocumented immigrants access to in-state college tuition. The backlash from the GOP base came swiftly, as Perry fell out of contention in the polls, well before a later debate in which he — oops — forgot the name of the third of three federal agencies that he aimed to dismantle as president. Four years later, former tech executive Carly Fiorina had very little support early in the 2016 Republican race, but in August 2015 she stood out in an “undercard” debate. Her polling numbers improved and she made the main stage in subsequent debates, giving her a platform that eventually led Texas Sen. Ted Cruz to make her his vice presidential pick in a last-ditch attempt to rally support against Trump in the 2016 primary.

-Analysis by Geoffrey Skelley of FiveThirtyEight