With the 2024 presidential election just over a year away, prominent Republican politicians have begun expressing their opinions on hot-topic issues as they prepare to face off against likely Democratic nominee, President Joe Biden.
According to aggregate poll data from FiveThirtyEight, a widely cited political analysis outlet, former President Donald Trump maintains a strong lead amongst Republican voters. Despite his success in the polls, former President Trump opted not to attend this debate, although eight of his competitors did. The participants of the first debate included, in descending poll order, Ron DeSantis, Vivek Ramaswamy, Mike Pence, Nikki Haley, Chris Christie, Tim Scott, Asa Hutchinson, and Doug Burgum.
The debate began with a question about President Biden’s economic plan, dubbed “Bidenomics,” a term that the President himself has embraced. All candidates agreed that government spending should be cut, with some berating their competitors for allegedly overspending over the course of their political careers. Vivek Ramaswamy leaned into his profile as a “political outsider,” much like former President Trump did in the debates leading up to the 2016 election. While accusations were being made among candidates, Nikki Haley used her time to share examples of spending packages that were approved by Republicans in Congress, which she believed to be excessive. Haley then proceeded to call attention to her education and experience in handling financial matters, ending her time by saying “it’s time for an accountant in the White House.”
As the economic discussion continued, Ramaswamy expressed his support for non-renewable energy sources, saying he would “unlock American energy” by “drilling, fracking, burning coal, and embracing nuclear.” He reaffirmed this stance later in the debate, claiming that “the climate change agenda is a hoax,” which was met with a mixed reaction from the audience. The debate on economic policy ended with points from Ron DeSantis and Asa Hutchinson, where DeSantis touted his lax regulations during Covid as a positive for the Floridian economy and Hutchinson referenced past decisions he had made as governor of Arkansas to shrink the size of government and reduce taxes for residents.
On the topic of climate change, most candidates acknowledged human activity as a driving force of global warming, yet many believe the issue should be dealt with abroad instead of domestically. Haley blamed overseas manufacturing as the root cause of climate change, saying we should “start telling India and China that they need to lower their emissions.” She then continued on to express her distaste for President Biden’s “green subsidies,” as she claimed, “half of the batteries for electric vehicles are made in China.” Haley’s claim is supported by evidence from both the Department of Energy and Statista, which shows that roughly seventy-nine percent of lithium-ion batteries are produced in China. Other candidates shared similar beliefs, with Tim Scott advocating for creating more domestic manufacturing jobs and reducing American reliance on manufacturing in China.
Following the debate on climate change, the moderators prompted each candidate to share their stances on abortion. All candidates expressed that they were pro-life, with Haley taking a more moderate approach and arguing that a federal ban would require concessions. DeSantis based his argument on his morals, saying he “believes in a culture of life,” but refused to commit to a six-week federal abortion ban. Mike Pence categorized abortion as a “moral issue” as well, and implied that he would support a fifteen-week abortion ban at the national level. Doug Burgum firmly stated that “we should not have a federal abortion ban,” citing the Tenth Amendment as evidence and arguing that abortion law should be delegated to the states and the people within them.
As the debate continued, conversation switched to a discussion on crime and economic decline in cities. Nearly all candidates believed that Democratic policies were to blame, and nearly all vowed to create top-down reform centered largely around increased police funding and a crackdown on violent crime. The moderators then asked which of the candidates would support Donald Trump if he was convicted of any of the ninety-one counts he is being charged with. In response, all candidates besides two agreed they would support him, with Chris Christie being the most outspoken in his opposition. Christie also praised Pence for his certification of the 2020 election results, expressing his belief that Pence put the Constitution before personal political gain.
Next, candidates discussed Congressional funding given to Ukraine. Ramaswamy stood firmly by his opinion that the United States should stop funding Ukraine’s defensive forces, while Haley opposed his views and garnered massive applause for claiming that Ukraine’s fight against Russia was a fight against American opposition as a whole. DeSantis expressed his intent to divert Ukrainian funding towards defending America’s southern border, vowing to take swift action against drug traffickers and claiming that he would “leave them stone-cold dead.”
Nearing the end of the debate, candidates discussed educational practices and the Department of Education. DeSantis boasted about his decisions to eliminate critical race theory, remove gender theory, and bolster civic education in Florida’s K-12 curriculum. Ramaswamy stressed the need to eliminate the Department of Education and advocated for disbanding teachers’ unions, promoting school choice, and requiring that students pass a mandatory civics test to graduate. Burgum expressed his belief that a lack of innovation is the primary flaw with America’s public education system and stated that education is not one-size-fits-all. Haley shared many of the same policies as other candidates, but she also highlighted the importance of reading comprehension and vocational courses, saying “let’s teach our kids to build things again.”
As the debate ended, candidates delivered their closing statements. Burgum referenced his upbringing in a small town, promising to improve the economy and reduce government regulation. Hutchinson centered his remarks around law and order, stating that he would improve national security along the southern border and “bring out the best of America in terms of our national character, our faith, and our hope for the future.” Scott shared that he was once a “disillusioned young man growing up in a single-parent household mired in poverty,” then discussed what the “American Dream” means to him. Christie focused on his gubernatorial victory in New Jersey, claiming that his ability to beat an incumbent Democrat at the state level was proof he could beat Joe Biden in the presidential election. Haley described her husband’s service in the military and vowed to provide protection domestically just as her husband provided protection abroad. She then reiterated the core components of her campaign, mainly improving the economy and bolstering national security. Pence discussed his intention to roll back many Biden-era policies and called attention to his experience in national politics. Ramaswamy listed his ideals in rapid succession, saying “God is real, there are two genders, fossil fuels are a requirement for human prosperity… capitalism lifts us up from poverty… and the US Constitution [is] the strongest guarantor of freedom in human history.” Lastly, DeSantis referenced his many personal attributes, including that he is a “blue-collar kid,” a veteran, a dad, and a husband. He ended by citing his decisions as governor of Florida, using them as proof that Republican ideals can be implemented effectively. With that, the first GOP presidential debate of this election cycle concluded.
