Who Won the Second Republican Debate? Analysts Give Their Verdict

Former South Carolina Governor Nikki Haley gave a strong performance during Wednesday night's GOP presidential primary debate, although none of the candidates did enough to suggest Donald Trump won't clinch the nomination, according to experts.

Just as with the first televised GOP primary debate in Wisconsin, the former president didn't take part in the debate in Simi Valley, California, giving the other 2024 Republican hopefuls the chance to convince voters they should lead the party heading into next year's election, although they often reverted to speaking over the top of each other as moderators struggled to keep control.

Haley, who often fails to get into double digits in GOP primary polls, was praised for being able to show her competence and promote her policies during the debate. Whether she did enough to suggest she could be the second-placed candidate, never mind the first, remains doubtful.

"Nikki Haley had another strong performance, but will GOP primary voters actually notice?" David B. Cohen, a professor of political science at the University of Akron in Ohio, told Newsweek.

Former New Jersey Governor Chris Christie, a potential also-ran in the primary, highlighted that he's running for president to offer voters a clear alternative to Trump. Christie, a frequent critic of the former president, blasted Trump for not attending Wednesday night's debate.

Sean Freeder, an assistant professor of political science at the University of North Florida, hit out at the other candidates for failing to provide a "clear explanation" for why they are running against Trump, by not acknowledging him or providing differentiation.

"They are trying to avoid the high downside risk of attacking a popular candidate, but if they aren't willing to take the leap, they're just wasting their time," Freeder told Newsweek.

Florida Governor Ron DeSantis, widely seen as Trump's main rival in the primary, although he's way behind in the polls, had another solid if not exactly groundbreaking performance on Wednesday, which at this stage may do little to help his floundering campaign.

Freeder accused DeSantis of "treading water" at a time when he urgently needs to start building momentum if he has any hopes of toppling Trump as the primary leader.

"That's not acceptable in the world of campaigns—if you're not building momentum, you're going to lose it to someone else eventually. DeSantis' clear weakness is his personal presentation and ability to connect with voters, and he still struck me as robotic and insincere throughout the debate," Freeder said.

Elsewhere, Cohen said former Vice President Mike Pence showed himself to be a "throwback candidate to a bygone era" and gave a performance of a representative of a Republican conservatism "that does not exist anymore" in this post-MAGA world.

"He and Ron DeSantis spent much of the debate quoting Reagan—the problem is that much of the current GOP base views Reagan as a RINO who would have a hard time winning a GOP primary," Cohen said.

Cohen also accused entrepreneur Vivek Ramaswamy and South Carolina Senator Tim Scott of mainly speaking in "platitudes" during the debate.

Tom Preston, a professor of communication at the University of North Georgia, added that North Dakota Governor Doug Burgum was "barely heard" during the debate and that he's likely to be the next eliminated from the field.

In the end, all three analysts agreed that the true winner from Wednesday's debate was not even on the stage.

Trump Was the Biggest Winner

"Nothing happened on this stage tonight that will meaningfully change the direction of this primary, and it's hard to imagine how it would when the candidate with a commanding lead, Donald Trump, refuses to participate," Freeder said.

Trump not attending also likely resulted in viewing figures being below what they could have been, which may also damage the other candidates' chances to appeal to potential voters or even convince Trump supporters to switch allegiances.

"It's simply not enough for a group of candidates polling at 5-15 percent to trade their small percentages of support back and forth with one another—unless someone is drawing supporters away from Trump, Trump's primary victory is trivially inevitable," Freeder said.

Summarizing the debate, Preston told Newsweek that "although DeSantis may maintain his lead among those on stage, the biggest winner of the debate is likely was the person not present—namely Donald Trump, who currently possesses a 40-point lead that the results of this debate is unlikely to change."

Cohen added the second debate was merely "kabuki theatre," or political posturing.

"Trump has built a largely insurmountable lead. Absent something crazy happening, he will easily win the nomination," he said.