Winners and Losers From the Fourth Republican Debate

Welcome to Opinion’s commentary for the fourth Republican presidential debate, held at the University of Alabama in Tuscaloosa on Wednesday night. In this special feature, Times Opinion writers and contributors rate the candidates on a scale of 0 to 10: 0 means the candidate didn’t belong on the stage and should have dropped out before the debate even started; 10 means the candidate can head to Iowa and New Hampshire with the wind at his or her back.

Here’s what our columnists and contributors thought about the debate.

Jamelle Bouie Because none of these people stand a real chance of being the next Republican nominee for president, you should think of these scores as a judgment on their performance more than an evaluation of their fitness for the office. On that basis, Christie gets a lot of credit for being able to give clear and straightforward answers to most questions and for trying to browbeat Ron DeSantis into doing the same.

Gail Collins He did manage to shame the others into taking on Donald Trump, at least for a minute or two.

Michelle Cottle He seemed to understand that he’s running out of time. He went all in on sounding the alarm about the unfitness of Trump and smacking the rest of the pack for treating the defeated president too deferentially. “You want to know why those poll numbers are where they are? Because folks like these three guys on the stage make it seem like his conduct is acceptable.” Yep. As a bonus, he spanked Vivek Ramaswamy — hard — for being a dishonest, insufferable twit.

Ross Douthat His best debate by far — loose, fun, making the most of the freedom that comes with having no chance at all. Since he can realistically take votes only from Nikki Haley at this point, the question is whether he stays in to do just that or whether, as his sharper attacks on DeSantis and defense of Haley against Ramaswamy possibly telegraph — he’s planning a graceful exit and Haley endorsement just before Iowa or New Hampshire.

Sarah Isgur Actually answering the question? What an unexpected treat in a presidential debate. This was Christie at his very best. He shut down Ramaswamy, defended Haley and acknowledged the reality of Trump. Republican primary voters should embrace people willing to tell them the unpopular truth. But there’s very little evidence that they will.

Katherine Mangu-Ward He came to talk smack about Trump and force the other candidates to confront the reality of the G.O.P.’s electoral situation. By those lights, he succeeded. Side note: Chris Christie for debate moderator in 2028!

Daniel McCarthy He wants whatever anti-Trump vote is available in the G.O.P., and this time he made his case effectively. He embarrassed DeSantis by badgering him for dodging straight answers, and he came across as bolder and more distinct than Haley.

Peter Wehner Christie did to Ramaswamy what he did to Marco Rubio in 2016: put a stake through the heart of his campaign. That alone justifies his candidacy. Christie was quick on his feet and authentic and made a compelling ethical case against Trump. Calling out his competitors for being afraid to offend Trump was devastating because it’s true.

Jamelle Bouie Haley did a decent job fending off attacks from the other candidates, and she, like Christie, seems to understand that in a general election she’ll have to appeal to voters who aren’t plugged into the Fox Cinematic Universe.

Gail Collins Promised “no drama, no vendettas, no whining.” That’s certainly a start.

Michelle Cottle Welcome to being seen as a threat. DeSantis and Ramaswamy came in looking to take Haley down. They went after her at every opportunity, forcing her to play a lot of defense — at times getting her flustered and making her look, well, defensive. As usual, she had consistently strong answers to the moderators’ questions. But this may have been her least memorable performance, and she did not have the kind of breakout moment she needs.

Ross Douthat A flattering night for her — since the sharp attacks from DeSantis especially reflected her strengthening position in the race — but not really a good one. Her decision to stay above the fray with Ramaswamy possibly made sense, but she was on the defensive against DeSantis on China and transgender issues in ways that served as a reminder of why she’s so unlikely to consolidate enough of the party’s conservatives to give Trump a real race.

Sarah Isgur Haley has 99 problems, but her debate performance isn’t one of them. Her decision not to engage with Ramaswamy was effective, as evidenced by his sputtering fury when she said he wasn’t worth her time. If you squinted just so, you could almost make out a G.O.P. front-runner. But even if all the others onstage dropped out and every one of their voters moved into her column, she’d still come up short. Will the Trump voters she needs shift if she becomes a viable alternative? Are they even still paying attention?

Katherine Mangu-Ward I saidnice things about Haley in the past, despite knowing she was no libertarian. Tonight she let her conservative freak flag fly, emphasizing her plans to crack down on TikTok, restrict free speech on college campuses, limit immigration and get embroiled in numerous foreign conflicts to varying degrees. And as Christie noted: “She said that Donald Trump was good on trade. He wasn’t.”

Daniel McCarthy Her misfortune was to be overshadowed by Christie, which will probably keep him in the race through New Hampshire and weaken her chances of beating DeSantis there, especially if his performance tonight plays well in Iowa. Her appeal is mostly to people who don’t vote in G.O.P. primaries.

Peter Wehner She knew she’d be the target tonight, and she was. She held up OK, but she was less sharp than in previous debates. Her best moments were her ripostes; her biggest advantage was that her main attackers, DeSantis and Ramaswamy, were surly and rude. She criticizes Trump but only on policy, never on character.

Jamelle Bouie I thought DeSantis was improved from previous performances but still not very impressive. His brief exchange with Christie over whether Trump is fit to be president was emblematic. It’s not just that DeSantis is trying to play politics — trying to have it both ways — by refusing to answer the question; it’s that he always sounds like he’s playing politics. Of course, all politicians are calculating. But DeSantis cannot hide it, to his detriment.

Gail Collins He was more coherent than usual. Too bad I disagreed with everything he said.

Michelle Cottle He tap-danced around tough questions. He looked twitchy and manic. Plus, Calvin Coolidge, Ron? Too clever by half. That said, he made lots of sweeping assertions about what he would do as president because he’s such a strong guy, which tends to play well with the Republican base. Grading on the awkward DeSantis curve, it was a solid showing.

Ross Douthat He did well in his tangles with Haley but worse in his tangles with Christie, which was a nice illustration of his fundamental problem: He still has the best ideological positioning to be a non-Trump challenger, but he just hasn’t shown enough strength or dominance to persuade members of the party’s anti-Trump faction that they should swallow their doubts and vote for him.

Sarah Isgur There was a touch of the Rubio robot problem tonight. He wasn’t prepared when Christie called out his 90-second answer that didn’t actually answer anything. The “new sheriff in town” meaningless mush of clichés could be forgiven the first time — it is live TV, after all — but when he repeated it verbatim, it seemed he had convinced himself it was profound. And his singular focus on Haley came off as more desperate than strategic.

Katherine Mangu-Ward DeSantis returned to his culture warrior roots, with answers that focused disproportionately on Mexican fentanyl and children’s genitals. In general, he favored maximizing buzzwords over workable policy proposals appropriate to the office of the chief executive. The audience didn’t hate it.

Daniel McCarthy He wounded Haley by questioning her commitment to stop transgender treatments for minors, and by appealing to the right wing of the G.O.P., he framed himself well for the Iowa caucuses. That’s where his campaign’s fate will be settled, and his pitch was honed for that.

Peter Wehner Evasive and scripted. DeSantis trotted out his tiresome culture warrior shtick. He’s more upset that Trump didn’t fire Anthony Fauci than that Trump has been indicted, tried to overturn an election, was found liable for sexual abuse. He tries so hard, too hard, to appeal to the base. DeSantis is a weak man pretending he’s a strong man.

Jamelle Bouie I don’t know — what else there is to say about a guy who, in a single statement, declared that Jan. 6 was an inside job, endorsed the great-replacement conspiracy theory and essentially suggested that every conspiracy you’ve ever heard is true? He’s a clown! And not even one of the good ones.

Gail Collins Christie says he’s “the most obnoxious blowhard in America.” Well, maybe the top 2 percent.

Michelle Cottle I’m content to let Christie speak for me: “This is the fourth debate that you would be voted in the first 20 minutes as the most obnoxious blowhard in America. So shut up.”

Ross Douthat He is who he is, the unlikability was no worse than usual, the entertainment value a little higher, and his particular mix of qualities — policy smarts and demagoguery, flashes of insight and bursts of glib pandering — remains distinctive enough to justify his presence on the stage even amid the steam of all his rivals’ hatred.

Sarah Isgur Thomas Jefferson? Is this a joke? Because if it is a joke, the commitment to the bit is impressive. But I think we all know it’s not a joke. I think I speak for the entire pundit class when I tell you that we’re all running out of synonyms for “jerk.”

Katherine Mangu-Ward As usual, Ramaswamy veered between moments of cogent analysis and ad hominem conspiracism. During one segment, he suggested Jan. 6 was an inside job and that the 2020 election was stolen. (Or was it the 2016 election?) He also called Haley a “fascist neocon,” which is only half right.

Daniel McCarthy He may be hated by the other candidates, the audience and the pundits, but he continues to set himself up as a thematic successor to Trump — a role with a big constituency in today’s G.O.P.

Peter Wehner Ramaswamy is a smear merchant and a particularly obnoxious and unlikable one. He routinely accuses his opponents of being fascists, of being liars, of being corrupt — and even used a stupid prop in the process (“Nikki = corrupt”). Oh, and he’s a conspiracy nut, too. What’s not for a MAGA Republican to like?

Source: Elections - nytimes.com