Loud Enough?

Key Takeaways from the Second Republican Debate

By Spencer A. Backman, Copy Editor

The candidates for the Republican party nomination engaged in a shouting match on the debate stage at the Ronald Reagan Presidential Library in Simi Valley, California, on Sept. 27, 2023.

In many recent presidential debates, there has been a point at which candidates recognize that if they do not make headway, the following week’s headlines will be about them dropping out of the race. In this most recent showdown, it may not have been the last word for many of them, but they are struggling to break through the crowd, especially given who was once again not on stage.

“On one hand, it’s a crowded field, there’s a number of folks and they’re all fighting to differentiate themselves from the pack,” said Dr. Robert Watson, a professor of American history at Lynn University. “On the other hand, it’s not a crowded field because it’s Trump’s party, it’s Trump’s primary to win or lose, it’s Trump’s nomination to win or lose whether he’s at the debate or not and he doesn’t participate in the debates.”

Former President Trump is the leading candidate in the Republican primary and has chosen not to attend any of the debates so far. Many candidates are betting that if they can hang in long enough and things go badly for the former president, they have a chance to win.

Florida Governor Ron DeSantis took the opportunity to call out Trump, saying he was “missing in action.” Former New Jersey Governor Chris Christie accused Trump of “hiding behind his golf bags” rather than defending his record.

The winners of this debate were clear. In first was President Joe Biden for not being attacked as much as the first debate and for having his opponents attacked, regardless of which candidate ends up on the ticket. In second was Trump, for appearing above the fray and for making it harder to attack his record, because you cannot attack the elephant in the room when it is not present.