The second Republican debate was held a couple of weeks ago, on Wednesday, November 8th. The qualified candidates included former Governor of New Jersey Chris Christie, Governor of Florida Ron DeSantis, former Governor of South Carolina and former U.N. ambassador Nikki Haley, entrepreneur Vivek Ramaswamy, and South Carolina senator Tim Scott. President Trump met the qualifications of 70,000 unique donors and at least 4% of the votes in two separate polls. However, he didn’t sign the agreement stating that candidates must support the future nominee, and therefore did not qualify for the debate. Instead of signing this agreement, President Trump held a rally in Hialeah, Florida, in an attempt to draw attention away from the debate.
Credit: NBC
The five candidates battled it out on Wednesday, speaking about various issues such as the Israel-Palestine conflicts, abortion, inflation, international relations, climate change, and many others. Many of these topics incited disagreement among the candidates, but they did not need charged topics to take swings at not only each other, but the moderators as well. Ramaswamy took no time in calling Haley “Dick Cheney in 3-inch heels” and criticized moderator Kristen Walker for her questions. Haley responded to Ramaswamy’s jab by saying “they’re 5-inch heels, and I don’t wear them unless I can run in them […] it’s not a fashion statement, they’re for ammunition.” She later said to Ramaswamy, “you’re just scum.”
Regarding the debate topics, candidates were split. DeSantis maintained his stance of a 6-week abortion ban and allowing states to decide their policies. Scott challenged Haley and DeSantis on a federal 15-week ban. Haley said in response, “I would support anything that passes.” Haley and DeSantis continued to spar on climate affairs. Haley exposed DeSantis’ ‘liberal’ position for climate change. She criticized his pro-stances of fracking, or oil drilling, and his protection of the Florida Everglades. One issue all the candidates agreed on was the Israel-Palestine conflict. All five pushed their support of Israel, and their plans to support Israel in “whatever they need.” Many candidates additionally expressed their concern for anti-semitism in college campuses, and lack of protection of Jewish college students around the country.
In terms of the debate as a whole, Haley and DeSantis continued to fight as front runners, while Christie and Scott struggled to have a standout moment. The candidates will continue to have rallies and tour the country for the next couple of weeks in preparation for the next debate in December. For more information about the candidates’ viewpoints, and election updates, I recommend looking at the candidates’ websites, as well as trusted news sources.