The Grand Ol’ Party presidential candidate debate took place on August 23rd, about two months ago. This was essentially a debate between eight rivals, conversing over subjects such as abortion, climate change, and other issues in order to gain momentum in the polls. As many know, the most prominent figure of the Republican party, Donald Trump, did not participate in this controversial brawl. Due to this, the GOP presidential candidate debate was more accurately a race for second place, with all candidates eagerly discussing our nation’s points of interest.

According to PBS, Florida Governor Ron Desantis is currently the highest in the Republican primary polls (14.3%), right after Donald Trump (56.3%). Surprisingly though, these numbers weren’t strongly reflected in the debate itself. It seemed to viewers that Desantis slid into the shadows, eclipsed by other candidates. He wasn’t taking any risks, because he was (and still is) the runner-up. One prominent point he made in the debate was the support he showed for a 6-week abortion ban. Additionally, he was questioned over his opinion surrounding the controversy of Pence’s rejection of January 6th. He trod lightly, barely answering with a “Mike did his duty. I’ve got no beef with him”. The complication with this man’s campaign is that most of his followers were gained for being a “second Trump”. The fact that they are being put against each other causes these supporters to be divided, our former president’s pull turning out to be much stronger. 

The third highest in the polls is Vivek Ramaswamy, with 7.5% of the Grand Ol’ Party’s support. This man dominated the GOP debate, despite being new to politics. His relentless campaign has allowed him to gain quite a bit of support, a spotlight seeming to shine on him throughout this mighty discussion. However, all eight candidates felt extremely threatened by this young entrepreneur, attacking him from all sides. Mike Pence claimed that “Now is not the time for on-the-job training. […] We don’t need to bring in a rookie”. Furthermore, Nikki Haley bashed him for his opinions on withdrawing support for Ukraine, pressing that he “has no foreign policy and it shows”. Overall, Ramaswamy seems to be taking on the role of Trump’s heir, attempting to win over the votes of his followers.

Nikki Haley is currently fourth in the Republican primary polls (6.3%), a former United States UN ambassador known for her foreign policy. Viciously attacking Ramaswamy for his lack of global knowledge is a prime example of this. This candidate stood out for a multitude of reasons- not only was she the first female candidate, but she was fearless when it came to vocalizing her controversial opinions. One of these is the fact that she openly criticized former president Donald Trump- she claimed that his reputation was unsuitable for a successful general election, especially considering the chaos he caused on January 6th. Another notable opinion she didn’t shy away from was the acknowledgment of climate change. Many other candidates denied this issue, claiming that it wasn’t a concern. Additionally, Haley vocalized her views on abortion; “I do believe there is a federal role on abortion. Whether we can save more lives nationally depends entirely on doing what no one has done to date: finding consensus”. All in all, Nikki Haley is definitely colorful and open to discussing many debatable topics. Her thorough knowledge of world politics is more than noteworthy. However, the Republican Party seems to be leaning towards more extreme candidates.

Mike Pence is fifth in the polls (4.8%), with Chris Christie (2.7%) and Tim Scott (2.3%) behind him. Pence has become widely unpopular amongst the Republican Party after he denied fraud in the 2020 election results. During the debate, he demonstrated his political experience, participating actively and attacking other candidates consistently. Chris Christie was also active on stage, geared more towards witty remarks. He has taken the role of an adversary of Donald Trump, extremely vocal when it comes to criticizing the former president. He isn’t popular amongst the Grand Ol’ Party either, his anti-Trump opinions seemingly unappreciated. Finally, South Carolina’s Senator Tim Scott was unremarkably subtle. He faded into the background of the debate, apparently taking a kindness-oriented path. This wasn’t effective, leaving him out of most of the debate’s clashes.