Who Won the GOP Debate?

Tonight eight Republican candidates for President of the United States took the stage in the first official GOP debates of the season. Those participating in the debate held in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, are North Dakota Doug Burgum, former New Jersey Governor Chris Christie, Florida Governor Ron DeSantis, former U.N. Ambassador and South Carolina Governor Nikki Haley, former Arkansas Governor Asa Hutchinson, former Vice President Mike Pence, biotech entrepreneur Vivek Ramaswamy, and South Carolina Senator Tim Scott.

Virginia Allen, Mary Margaret Olohan, Jarrett Stepman, and Tyler O’Neil published an article in The Daily Signal shared “some of the most noteworthy answers and exchanges from the debate.” A few of those responses are as follow: 

Burgum

“First of all, I’m a very pro-life governor in a pro-life state, and this issue is very important,” Burgum said when asked about abortion.

But the North Dakotan added that despite his personal opposition to abortion, he did not believe in a federal abortion ban. He cited the 10^th Amendment of the U.S. Constitution as the reason for his opposition to a national ban….

Christie

Christie addressed the problems at the southern border. He laid out his plan for addressing the millions of illegal immigrants who have already come to the United States.

“The first thing we need to do is to stop any more from coming. That’s the first thing we need to do,” the former New Jersey governor said.

As for those who have already come here, he said, “We have to have law and order in this country. We have to enforce the law.”

What that means, Christie said, is that the U.S. needs to make sure that the people who come here illegally are not “rewarded for being here illegally.”

He said that there were huge numbers of “wonderful people” from around the world “waiting in line and following the law to try to come here and pursue the American dream.” ….

DeSantis

“Our country is in decline,” the Florida governor said. “This decline is not inevitable. It’s a choice. We need to send [President] Joe Biden back to his basement and reverse American decline.”

DeSantis added, “We must reverse Bidenomics so that middle-class families have a chance to succeed again.” …

Asked if he would support sending U.S. special forces across the border to Mexico to shut down fentanyl labs and stop criminal cartel activity, DeSantis said, “Yes, and I will do it,” without hesitation.

“We have to reestablish the rule of law and we have to defend people,” DeSantis said of the situation along the southern border.

Haley

Haley … described herself as unapologetically pro-life, but pushed for Republicans to stop “demonizing the issue of abortion, calling for Americans to rally around consensus. That remark provoked a rebuke from Pence….

Hutchinson

Hutchinson accused Trump of undermining respect for the U.S. justice system, trying to tie the former president to the crime issue….

“It starts at the top with a respect for our justice system, that our former president who is under indictment has undermined by attacking judges, by attacking prosecutors, by attacking the system, and saying he’s aggrieved,” the former Arkansas governor added….

Pence

Pence defended his position on Ukraine, his handling of the transition of power after the 2020 presidential election, and his record as former vice president…

When the candidates were asked if they would support Trump if he is again the nominee, Pence did raise his hand after several other candidates did so. Hutchinson was the only candidate to not raise his hand.

Pence spoke clearly of his pro-life views and promised that as president, the American people would have a “champion for life” in the White House. Pence indicated he would support a national law banning abortion at 15 weeks of pregnancy, when a baby in the womb is able to feel pain.

Ramaswamy

Ramaswamy was quick to fire back at his fellow candidates Wednesday evening, sparring with Christie, Haley, Pence, and others in sometimes heated exchanges on foreign policy, climate change, and more.

When asked if he would support additional funding for Ukraine in the face of the Russian invasion, Ramaswamy said he would not support an increase and added that aid for Ukraine detracts from other, more pressing concerns for Americans…

The entrepreneur-turned-presidential candidate said that America will be made secure by ensuring that “we are strong at home.”

Scott

Scott defended his record on issues such as federal spending and abortion. He spoke passionately about his pro-life record and the need for federal legislation to limit late-term abortions….

Scott said that the Declaration of Independence defined our rights as coming from our Creator and that among those right is the right to life….

In his closing remarks, Scott spoke about the attainability of the American dream….

Front runner Donald Trump did not participate in the debate. However, an interview with Tucker Carlson was released five minutes prior to the opening of the debate. I watched both the interview and the debate, and I still believe that Trump is the only candidate that can take on the Deep State.

Here is my opinion about who won the debate: The front runners are still at the head of the pack and none of the others moved up.