Four of the five Republican presidential candidates left had a showdown during the fourth GOP debate in Tuscaloosa, Alabama. It was the last opportunity for the four to make a dent in Donald Trump’s overwhelming lead in polling before the Jan. 15 Iowa Caucus.
Florida Governor Ron Desantis, former U.N. Ambassador Nikki Haley, entrepreneur Vivek Ramaswamy and former New Jersey Governor Chris Christie participated in the two-hour debate hosted by News Nation. It was the most intense debate yet. Candidates offered personal and professional criticism of each other. They tried to stand out as the best candidate against former President Trump, who did not attend this or any debate this year.
According to FiveThirtyEight polling, Trump leads the party as of Dec. 11 in polling with 59% of voter support. Desantis ranks second with 12.6%, Hayley third with 11.6%, and Ramaswamy and Christie are fourth and fifth with 4.8% and 2.8%.
Trump’s significant lead so close to the Iowa Caucus – the first electoral test for the candidates – is a potential reason for this debate’s urgency. However, the candidates’ fiery criticism was directed at each other instead of Trump, making the debate a battle for second place instead of first.
Christie was the only candidate to criticize Trump repeatedly during the debate. For the first 20 minutes, Christie did not speak; however, when he did, his first words were directed at Trump.
“We’ve had these three [the other candidates] acting as if the race is between the four of us. The fifth guy, who doesn’t have the guts to show up and stand here, he’s the one who’s ahead in the polls, and yet, I got these three guys who are all seemingly competing with Voldemort: He who shall not be named,” Christie said.
While he tried to criticize at Trump, Christie fell short many times during the debate. Many Republican candidates have called for him to drop out of the race to help the Republican party. Ramaswamy alluded to this in an insult to Christie.
“Do everybody a favor; just walk yourself off that stage, enjoy a nice meal and get the hell out of this race,” Ramaswamy said to Christe early during the debate.
Ramaswamy also insulted Haley and Christie for their stance on the Russia and Ukraine war. At one point, he said they could not even name any of Ukraine’s providences yet want to aid them in war. His insults did not provide a spark strong enough to shine against Trump. Ramaswamy spent most of the discussion firing at Nikki Haley’s credibility and trying to convince the crowd he is the best of a lackluster bunch.
Haley defended herself against Ramaswamy and Desantis most of the night; her concise and clear answers received applause and positive reactions from the crowd. The other candidate’s attacks did not hurt Hayley in polling, as she still is ranked third behind Desantis, but she also did nothing to stand out against the elephant in the room: Trump.
Desantis seems to be the best hope for someone in the Republican party to compete with Trump. During the debate, he took a firm stance against many of Haley’s policies. He continuously spoke directly to the Alabama crowd, receiving cheers, but mostly stayed away from the topic of Trump. The main criticism he offered was Trump’s age, saying, “Father time is undefeated.”
While Desantis may be the best bet, the debate did not do much to put him ahead of Trump who is still 25% points above Desantis in Iowa alone, the first in a long series of state battles.
On Jan. 15 Iowa Republicans will be the first to cast votes for a Republican presidential candidate during the Iowa caucus, where community members will gather and speak on behalf of their chosen candidate.
Trump is leading overall and in Iowa polling weeks before the caucus. This proves how much influence he still has in the Republican party – especially considering he did not participate in a single debate leading up to Iowa.
As it stands now, the 2024 election will be a repeat of 2020’s candidates.
Contact Racial Justice Reporter Garrett Simms at 317-762-7847.
