SIMI VALLEY, California :The seven Republicans on stage at their party's second 2024 presidential primary debate aimed on Wednesday to convince voters they could be a viable alternative to frontrunner Donald Trump, who skipped the event.
Here are takeaways from the sometimes unruly debate in Simi Valley, California:
HALEY ON THE MARCH
For the second straight debate, Florida Governor Ron DeSantis turned in a sober, stable performance that likely did nothing to derail his candidacy. But he may want to start worrying about Nikki Haley elbowing her way into his lane.
DeSantis' candidacy has long been premised on the idea that he will emerge as the party's top alternative to Trump. As he has slid in polls, he has created an opening that Haley looks best positioned to seize.
Similar to the first debate, Haley, the former South Carolina governor, was crisp and in command on Wednesday. In an early give-and-take on the economy, she was perhaps the only candidate who outlined how she would help the middle-class.
Later, Haley delivered aggressive but nuanced answers on healthcare, education and relations with China. She also showed a willingness to tussle with her rivals, including DeSantis, biotech entrepreneur Vivek Ramaswamy and US Senator Tim Scott.
When Scott, a fellow South Carolinian, accused her of purchasing expensive curtains while US ambassador to the United Nations, Haley — who denies doing so -- turned to him and said, "Bring it, Tim".
DeSantis tried to cut in amid the squabble: "I'm the only one out here who's gotten into big fights and delivered big victories for the people of Florida."
The crowd applauded. But it remains to be seen whether DeSantis did enough to keep him in second place.
RAMASWAMY AT THE CENTER OF THE STORM
In the first debate last month, Ramaswamy, 38, delivered a pugnacious and flashy performance, boosting his standings in some polls.
On Wednesday night, his rivals were ready to take him down a peg or two, but their barbs ended up giving him a huge amount of attention and helped him dominate the event.
At one point, Scott went after Ramaswamy for previously doing business in China. When Ramaswamy tried to defend himself, saying he had pulled his business ventures out of China, Haley was ready to pounce. "Yeah, right before you ran for president," she said.
Haley went after him again over his decision to become the first Republican candidate to join Chinese-owned short video app TikTok. Ramaswamy framed the move as a way to help him reach younger voters; Haley called it "infuriating".
"TikTok is one of the most dangerous social media assets that we could have," she told him, adding "we can't trust you."
Far from being cowed by the attacks, Ramaswamy capitalized on them. He injected himself into the conversation throughout the two-hour showdown, managing to suck up valuable air time.
DESANTIS DUMPS ON TRUMP
It took more than 15 minutes for DeSantis to speak at the debate, but when he did, he unloaded on former President Donald Trump in a way he has not before.
He said Trump, who was speaking to a crowd of autoworkers in Detroit on Wednesday instead of joining the debate, should have been on the stage with his competitors.
"Donald Trump is missing in action. He should be on the stage tonight," DeSantis said. "He owes it to you to defend his record where they added 7.8 trillion to the debt. That set the stage for the inflation that we have now."
DeSantis had patiently bided his time as all the other contenders on stage took questions on the economy. It was not an ideal start for a candidate who desperately needs to reverse his fading fortunes.
The most recent Reuters/Ipsos poll had him falling almost 40 percentage points behind Trump. In some early-voting states such as New Hampshire, he is in danger of dropping into the middle of the pack and being passed by rivals like Haley.
Whether DeSantis, 45, ultimately will benefit from taking on the most popular figure in the party remains to be seen, but his combativeness toward Trump, 77, was something some of his supporters and donors have wanted to see for months.
A HARD LINE AGAINST ILLEGAL IMMIGRATION
Asked about the flow of illegal immigration across America's southern border, the candidates tried to outdo one another by showing how hardline their policies would be.
It was a clear reflection of how illegal immigration and border security are among the top concerns for Republican primary voters.
Former New Jersey Governor Chris Christie said he would send the National Guard to the U.S.-Mexico border "on Day One."
Haley promised to create an additional 25,000 Border Patrol and immigration enforcement jobs at the border, keep asylum seekers in Mexico and immediately deport captured immigrants who enter illegally.
Not to be upstaged, Ramaswamy went even further. He pledged universal deportation for all immigrants who enter illegally and their children, the complete militarization of the southern border and the end of birthright citizenship for the children of immigrants who enter illegally born on U.S. soil.
"If the kid of a Mexican diplomat doesn't enjoy birthright citizenship, then neither does the kid of an illegal migrant who broke the law to come here," Ramaswamy said.
PLEASE CLAP
Experts who have studied presidential debates say it's hard to manufacture a moment that voters will remember or that will go viral on social media. They typically come off as inauthentic. But Republicans on stage still tried.
Former vice-president Mike Pence was so eager to use his one-liner, he decided to refer to an earlier question about the United Auto Workers strike rather than one he was asked.
"Joe Biden doesn't belong on the picket line. He belongs on the unemployment line," Pence joked before pausing for a roar from the crowd that never came.
Later, when discussing education policy, he noted that he has "been sleeping with a teacher for 38 years" (Spoiler: It's his wife, Karen Pence).
Christie attempted a little humor himself in blasting Trump for skipping the debate. Addressing the camera, Christie adopted the pose of speaking to the former president directly.
"You're not here tonight because you're afraid of being on this stage and defending your record. You're ducking these things," Christie said, his finger pointed in challenge. "And let me tell you what's going to happen if you keep doing that. No one up here is going to call you Donald Trump anymore. We're gonna call you Donald Duck."
There were some hoots but more moans from the audience, likely because much of the crowd, like the Republican Party, was comprised of voters who like Trump. Christie's campaign tried to make it viral by posting it on X, the social media site once known as Twitter. One commenter noted, "We've reached new levels of cringe." --REUTERS