A Quick Second-Debate Scorecard

This debate was chaotic, poorly moderated, and plagued by Univision anchor Ilia Calderón’s trying to push the candidates to the left — an odd and off-putting presence for a Republican debate on Fox at the Reagan Library. Here are my very quick reactions.

Donald Trump

Trump was missing in action again, and, unlike in the first debate, he paid for it a bit. Multiple candidates went after him for ducking the debate, particularly Ron DeSantis and Chris Christie. DeSantis also hit him hard, but late in the evening, on abortion, and Christie mocked him (aptly but likely with much less effect) for finishing only 52 miles of the border wall. Whether this helps or hurts Trump depends entirely on whether the debate serves to elevate one of his opponents above the others, but at least he’s not getting a free pass.

Ron DeSantis

Victimized by the format — seven is still too many candidates, as really no more than five on a stage can answer every question — DeSantis was barely heard from early on. He still seemed more focused on delivering his prepared pitch than on mixing it up with his opponents, and, at one point, he weirdly tried to help Vivek Ramaswamy out of a cross fire. All of that said, DeSantis delivered some great set pieces on abortion, on his Florida electoral record, on education, and on his military service — some of which may yet be news to people just tuning in to this race. He plainly won an exchange with Nikki Haley about fracking in Florida, the first time he has really shown what he can do in a back-and-forth. He came off as serious about China, if less so about Ukraine. DeSantis isn’t trying for a home run; he’s trying to stay in the game long enough to outlast some of the others and win the game on the ground.

Vivek Ramaswamy

Ramaswamy was the man of the hour in the last debate, in a good way for his name recognition but much less so for his favorability with Republican voters. It showed tonight: He went out of his way to emphasize his respect for the opponents he characterized last time as bought-and-paid-for shills. He still came in for open scorn from Haley and Tim Scott, and the less abrasive tone made him less distinctive. At least last time, I could picture whom he won over — this time, he was defensive, and that’s bad.

Nikki Haley

Haley was clearly the winner of the last debate, and one result of that was that Scott this time actually showed up with opposition research to dump on her, albeit with minimal and confusing effect as they ended up literally bickering about the curtains at the U.N. ambassador’s residence in Manhattan. Haley scored some really good notes at this debate, but I wonder if she made the opposite mistake to Ramaswamy’s, doubling down on insulting him (saying she got dumber every time she listened to him) and attacking DeSantis. Haley didn’t have a bad night, and she benefited from again being in the center of the action, but it was probably not as winning a performance.

Chris Christie

Christie remains a fantastic debater, and as usual he had some sparkling and funny moments, including telling Ramaswamy to put his hand down. He hit Trump harder than anyone else did, including a fine riff during which he looked into the camera and told Trump he knew Trump was watching. He did a compelling job of explaining the inextricable nature of the alliance between China, Russia, and Iran. But the rationale for his campaign remains elusive. Trump isn’t there for him to confront, and he seems uninterested in running interference for Trump as he did in 2016 by assaulting any of Trump’s genuine rivals.

Tim Scott

Scott came out feistier and avoided his disappearing act from the first debate. But he still can’t cure the fact that he sounds like a senator on a stage full of executives. And he’s still too busy talking up his inspiring life story instead of what he might do for voters.

Mike Pence

The first debate couldn’t have gone better for Pence. This one didn’t, and it raises the question of why he’s even still in the race now that he has made his point and defended his honor on January 6, for which his place in the history books will be secure. Haley seems to have stolen his thunder as the last true defender of the Reagan mantle.

Doug Burgum

Burgum was more engaged and less outclassed than he was in the first debate, when he had really sounded like a small-timer unprepared for the big stage. He made a compelling pitch for his grasp of American energy issues. But he’s still a guy who can tout his record because his state is one of the reddest in the nation, and he still seems to lack a broader portfolio of things to talk about. He’d make a fine cabinet secretary, but it’s time to let the real candidates get down to it.