Elections

Second Republican Primary Debate: Live Updates

From left: North Dakota governor Doug Burgum, former New Jersey governor Chris Christie, former South Carolina governor Nikki Haley, Florida governor Ron DeSantis, entrepreneur Vivek Ramaswamy, Senator Tim Scott (R., S.C.), and former vice president Mike Pence attend the second Republican presidential primary debate at the Ronald Reagan Presidential Library in Simi Valley, Calif., September 27, 2023. (Pedro Ugarte/AFP via Getty Images)
The 2024 Republican presidential candidates meet Wednesday night for their second debate, this time in Simi Valley, Calif., hosted by Fox Business Network. Front-runner Donald Trump, once more, is not attending. A total of seven candidates are: Ron DeSantis, Nikki Haley, Mike Pence, Tim Scott, Chris Christie, Vivek Ramaswamy, and Doug Burgum. Follow along for live updates and analysis from the NR team:
Dominic Pino

Rich, Burgum is eligible for another term as governor of North Dakota, I’d keep letting him cook.

Mark Wright

I don’t agree with Nikki Haley on the merits regarding U.S. military intervention in Mexico — involving the U.S. in a shooting war south of the border is the definition of opening a Pandora’s box of unknown and unpredictable consequences — but she presents the best argument for it.

And Haley’s tying Beijing the America’s fentanyl problem is 110 percent correct.

Kathryn Jean Lopez

Nikki Haley communicating on Fentanyl and China needs to be taken seriously. I know way too many young men who have died because of it.

Dan McLaughlin

As Dana Perino notes, terrorism was not even an issue in the Bush-Gore debates. Nor in 2016 was there a debate on pandemics.

Rich Lowry

Ok, actually Trump taking more incoming than last debate

Rich Lowry

Doug Burgum would be a great chief of staff or cabinet secretary for a non-Trump Republican president

Noah Rothman

Christie is correct. All the world’s anti-American regimes – Russia, China, Iran and North Korea – are aligned on one side of the conflict in Ukraine. Taiwan and NATO are on the other. This is not an ambiguous dynamic that requires a lot of chin-stroking to fully assess. Save two candidates, there seemed to be consensus on that stage around what we’re all seeing with our own eyes. It’s nice to hear someone unafraid to offend the sensibilities of the fringes.

Rich Lowry

I’m not a Vivek fan, but I wonder if Nikki seemed too angry and personal in her attacks

Dan McLaughlin

Christie is a bit overzealous on Ukraine but he’s just fantastic on connecting the Russia-China-Iran axis.

Jeffrey Blehar

Haley was fierce, and absolutely correct about TikTok. But – reading it as an audience member, not a person who 100% agrees with her and thinks Vivek’s embrace of China and TikTok is unforgivable – he had the better, more conciliatory tone. An act? Well, we all remember Debate #1. But he pitched it well and I wonder how Haley’s hit will play.

Still, she was right to make it.

NR Staff comprises members of the National Review editorial and operational teams.
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