The third debate of the Republican presidential primary took place on Wednesday evening in Miami, Fla. Like the first two, it did little to suggest that frontrunner Donald Trump — who once again stayed away from the event — has much to worry about. While the five candidates on stage engaged in some substantive discussion, they did little to make the case that they deserved the nomination over the former president.
A series of nasty exchanges — which culminated in former South Carolina Gov. Nikki Haley branding entrepreneur Vivek Ramasamwy as "just scum" after he referenced her daughter's supposed use of TikTok — only deepened the sense that viewers were watching an undercard affair.
Below, three takeaways from Wednesday’s debate.
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Haley’s strong answer on abortion
In Tuesday's off-year elections, voters in Ohio and Virginia sent the unambiguous message that they did not approve of Republican state-level bans on abortion made possible by the Supreme Court's overturning of Roe v. Wade in 2022.
Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis signed a six-week abortion into law, and Sen. Tim Scott of South Carolina also favors a federal ban after 15 weeks of pregnancy. Those positions could prove deeply problematic in a general election, should either candidate win the GOP primary.
Haley’s answer on abortion reprised her breakout moment in the first debate, when she said that federal bans were politically unrealistic. “As much as I’m pro-life, I don’t judge anyone for being pro-choice and I don’t want them to judge me for being pro-life," she said, adding that a federal ban would be unrealistic and that a “consensus” on the divisive matter was necessary.
“We don’t need to divide America over this issue any more,” Haley concluded.
The response was widely hailed as a moment of clarity on a night that featured plenty of obfuscation and more than a little dishonesty. "Nikki Haley has the best Republican answer on abortion," Republican pollster Frank Luntz said in a social media post. "The @GOP would be stronger if they used her language."
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Ramaswamy’s attacks grow stale
Ramaswamy's freewheeling manner made him something of a curiosity throughout the summer, and after the first GOP debate in late August. But it is now November, and a measure of exasperation from his rivals—and prospective voters—appears to have set in.
On Wednesday, he spoke for 17-and-a-half minutes, third out of five after Scott and Haley. He used that time to make a number of controversial statements, branding Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelensky, who is Jewish, a "Nazi" and vowing to build a border wall with Canada.
In his closing remarks, Ramaswamy suggested that the Democrats may eventually choose former First Lady Michelle Obama — who has expressed no interest in seeking elected office — as their eventual nominee over President Biden.
It was a performance, to be sure, but not one that seemed bound to be rewarded with a stint in the Oval Office.
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DeSantis has (another) workmanlike night
A year ago, DeSantis commandingly won in his gubernatorial reelection race and instantly became the GOP's best hope of a post-Trump candidate who could defeat Biden. But those hopes have steadily dimmed in recent months, and DeSantis limped into Miami on Wednesday, with Haley close on his heels in the polls.
DeSantis repeated many of his favorite lines Wednesday night, from gentle disappointment with Trump to bombastic promises to go after Mexican drug cartels. He made few mistakes, but also had few standout moments that could convince voters — or donors — that he retains the promise of late 2022. And at 16-and-a-half-minutes of cumulative speaking time, he was only ahead of former New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie.
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Scott and Christie fade into the background
When he announced his candidacy, Scott invoked comparisons to Ronald Reagan from his Senate colleagues. Christie, meanwhile, thrilled Never Trumpers — and some liberals — with his harsh attacks on the former president. But neither has capitalized on his early promise, and Wednesday night found them both in last-ditch efforts to make a case to voters.
Scott frequently evoked his Christian faith, in an obvious appeal to Iowa evangelicals, while Christie cast himself as a seasoned elected official who could both deal with Washington progressives and Moscow despots. Those arguments may have been persuasive in an earlier era of Republican politics, but they are unlikely to do much in a field dominated by Trump.
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The nomination remains Trump’s to lose
Leading by an enormous margin in both national and early state polls, Trump had little reason to show up on Wednesday. Instead, he held a rally in nearby Hialeah. There, he was endorsed by Sarah Huckabee Sanders, the Arkansas governor who served as his White House press secretary.
"The time has come to return to the normal policies of the Trump era which created a safer, stronger, and more prosperous America, and that's why I am proud to endorse Donald Trump for President," Sanders said in a statement ahead of the rally.
As much as they have complained about Trump’s absence, the other candidates could do nothing about the fact that, by staying away, the frontrunner again deprived the debate of the significance it might have otherwise had. And their unwillingness to attack him only deepened the sense that the GOP nomination is his to lose.
"Nothing changed," wrote conservative podcaster Megyn Kelly in a social media post that seemed to capture the evening's prevailing mood. "Trump won."
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