GOP Holds 3rd Presidential Debate in Miami

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Facts

  • Five candidates for the 2024 Republican presidential nomination took part in the party's third debate in Miami on Wednesday evening, with former president and GOP frontrunner Donald Trump skipping the debate to hold his own rally.1
  • Candidates required 70K individual campaign donors and at least 4% support in two national polls, or 4% in one national poll along with two polls out of New Hampshire, Nevada, and South Carolina, to be eligible for the debate. Seven candidates appeared at the last debate, with former VP Mike Pence exiting the race and North Dakota Gov. Doug Burgum failing to qualify.2
  • The debate saw Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis, former UN ambassador Nikki Haley, businessman Vivek Ramaswamy, former New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie, and Sen. Tim Scott (R-SC.) take the stage. The candidates were asked as to why voters should consider each individual as an alternative to Trump.3
  • During the debate, Trump held a campaign rally in Hialeah, Fla., drawing strong support from the state's Hispanic community. While DeSantis claimed that the former president 'owe[d] it' to the voters to be 'on this stage' and 'explain why he should get another chance,' Haley described Trump as 'getting weak in the knees.'4
  • All candidates voiced their support for Israel following Hamas' Oct. 7 attack while sharing differing views on abortion. Haley stated that she did not 'judge anyone' for being pro-choice, while DeSantis claimed the anti-abortion movement had been 'flat-footed' in mobilization.5
  • Ramaswamy delivered some of the night's most memorable soundbites when he referred to DeSantis and Haley as 'Dick Cheney in 3-inch heels' for their interventionist foreign policy positions. Meanwhile, Haley described Ramaswamy as 'scum' after he claimed that Haley's daughter used TikTok despite the ambassador criticizing the app as Chinese spyware.6
  • CBS' latest poll among likely Republican primary voters placed Trump with a 43% lead over Ron DeSantis, sitting as the party's first-choice candidate for 61% of respondents, with DeSantis second at 18%, Haley at 9%, Ramaswamy at 5%, Scott at 4%, and Christie at 2%.7

Sources: 1Associated Press (a), 2BBC News, 3CBS (a), 4PBS NewsHour, 5Associated Press (b), 6Daily Caller and 7CBS (b).

Narratives

  • Republican narrative, as provided by FOX News. The debate showed why DeSantis and Haley are ahead of the pack, consolidating current polling in the race to be the Republican no.2 candidate. At many points, the debate seemed as if it was a head-to-head between the two — with Christie and Scott noticeably lacking in force. There's little point in there being anyone else outside of DeSantis and Haley in the next debate if Trump once again chooses to be absent.
  • Democratic narrative, as provided by The Daily Beast. Each Republican candidate seemed drastically out of touch with modern-day America. The GOP continues to push rhetoric on what they are against rather than what they are for — a product of dangerous desperation from a group of weak candidates who will continue to be crushed by Donald Trump in the polls while dragging the GOP further down a path of oblivion.
  • Pro-Trump narrative, as provided by The Last Refuge. The GOP field isn't trying to win the Republican nomination, but rather, the candidates are attempting to undermine Pres. Trump's campaign. However, as poll numbers continue to show, such attempts will continue to fail — even in DeSantis' home turf of Florida. Haley and DeSantis continue to fight to be the best loser in the party as Trump cruises toward the 2024 presidential election.

Predictions