GOP Debate Grades – How did your favorite candidate do?

The second GOP debate got off to a wild start at the Reagan Library where the candidates could not stop interrupting themselves. The fire definitely settled down and all candidates got their policy positions in. But ultimately this debate ended with no clear winner, except maybe the only person who wasn’t on that stage, Donald Trump.

THE GRADES

Vivek Ramaswamy B+: Kept the populist energy that we are seeing in the GOP. He cleverly made a distinction between not liking the union bosses, but sympathizing with the rank and file unions, while continuing to defend capitalism and American exceptionalism. He once again was forced to dodge fire from nearly all candidates and handled the pressure quite well.

Tim Scott C+: Gave a great assessment of his view on Lyndon B. Johnson’s great society and how black people have struggled because of that. He finally tried some attacks on Vivek and Haley, but he simply didn’t show the energy to see it through. The VP position is the only possibility for him, and maybe that’s his goal in this.

Mike Pence C+: Decent, but not memorable. Made good points on policy, but not as persuasively as his colleagues. His most memorable line of the night was when he mentioned that he had “been sleeping with a teacher for the past 38 years.”

Nikki Haley B-: Made good points on policy, such as defunding sanctuary cities and giving border patrol more ability to do their job and end catch and release. Ultimately she came off looking quite annoying in her exchanges with Vivek, particularly when talking about banning TikTok, to which Americans don’t particularly care for.

Doug Burgum C: He made his policies clear, and tried his best to insert himself when he was clearly getting the least air time. But there is no reality in the multiverse where Burgum wins the GOP nomination. Waste of time.

Chris Christie C+ Made his typical points against Trump, with his goal is likely to torpedo Trump. Solid on immigration and articulation. Made good points on his record as prosecutor, but ultimately wasn’t able to separate himself on policy from the others in the field. The only hope for Christie in this race is that he somehow finds himself on a debate stage with Trump.

Ron DeSantis B+: For the first time, took a shot at Donald Trump. “You know who is missing in action? Donald Trump is missing in action.” To be fair, with how the polls have been, DeSantis does need to address Trump. He made good points on China, banning CRT, and overall was solid on policy as always. The issue for DeSantis in the prior debate was that very few of his counterparts attacked him, which he needs in order to show his ability to fight the same way he has done so effectively in Florida. He finally caught some critiques near the end of the debate, and came off looking quite strong.