Entrepreneur Vivek Ramaswamy, right, holds up a sign reading 'Nikki = corrupt', referring to former South Carolina governor and UN ambassador Nikki Haley, left, as he speaks during the fourth Republican presidential primary debate, in Tuscaloosa, Ala., on Dec. 6.JIM WATSON/Getty Images
So now there are four. And my, how the four remaining major challengers to Donald Trump for the Republican presidential nomination do fight fiercely. About abortion. About immigration. About China. About parental rights in gender-identity decisions. About terrorism. And about Mr. Trump himself.
This was the final roundup for the White House contenders this year, and as usual they avoided direct answers, interrupted each other, talked through the time limits – and were overshadowed by Mr. Trump, who spent the evening raising money in the hope that he can continue to overwhelm the other contenders with his spending, his persona, his bombast and his fiery remarks during his campaign appearances.
Even so, much was at stake Wednesday night, including these questions:
Has the dynamic of the campaign changed since the November debate?
One measure of the new status of Ms. Haley, who is the leading alternative to Mr. Trump in the early-voting states of New Hampshire and her home state of South Carolina, is that she was repeatedly attacked.
The debate was preceded by two anti-Haley advertisements, one of them that sketched her as a GOP version of Hillary Rodham Clinton, about as ugly a comparison as Republicans can make. She was immediately asked whether she was too cozy with corporate leaders and big donors. Governor Ron DeSantis of Florida said she would as president “cave to” corporate leaders. Businessman Vivek Ramaswamy called her “corrupt,” suggested that she was ignorant about foreign policy despite her experience as ambassador to the United Nations and, to broad audience disapproval, called her a “fascist.” No one bothered attacking former governor Chris Christie of New Jersey that way. “I love all the attention, fellas,” she said. “Thanks for that.”
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Did Ms. Haley act the part of the leader of this group?
She was unflustered by the attacks but the rehearsed diatribes were only a sample of what she is to face as the campaign heats up. In the weeks ahead she is going to have to refine her defence of her corporate board memberships, her record as governor, and her sophistication in international affairs. When Mr. Ramaswamy launched his fusillade against her, Mr. Christie came to her defence. That was gallant, but she may not want to be in the position of having as her shield a male establishment figure.
How about Mr. DeSantis? Did he stanch the bleeding?
He was put on the spot from the start and answered with force, telling the Republican-oriented audience in deep-red Alabama, that “I will fight for you and I will win for you.” He offered a strong position on immigration. “We have to lean in on this problem,” he said. “There’s going to be a new sheriff in town.” That sheriff also has “liberal” universities in his sights, saying that he didn’t want truck drivers underwriting student loans for students who got degrees in gender studies. He said he would “wreak havoc” on the Washington bureaucracy. Overall, he came across as the tough guy on the debate stage.
And what of Mr. Trump, who, as usual, overshadowed the others, even in absentia?
Mr. Christie spoke of him as “the fifth guy, who doesn’t have the guts to show up and stand here.” He called the former president “a dictator, a bully” and said, “He’s unfit to be president.” Otherwise, aside from two glancing criticisms from Ms. Haley, Mr. Trump was for the first 60 minutes the Lord Voldemort of the Harry Potter stories, which is to say “He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named.” Later, in a disparaging reference to the age of Mr. Trump, who is 77 years old, Mr. DeSantis said, “Father Time is undefeated.” But he repeatedly resisted Mr. Christie’s entreaties to say whether he thought Mr. Trump was unfit for another term in the White House.
Did Mr. Christie have much to say except that he deplores Mr. Trump?
He did. He said he didn’t want government instruction in family decisions about gender issues. He called Mr. Ramaswamy “the most obnoxious blowhard in America,” a riposte that seemed to have squared with the view of the audience. Mr. Ramaswamy responded by saying to Mr. Christie, whom Mr. Trump has ridiculed for his weight, “Enjoy a nice meal.”
Were there any indications of the evolving shape of the Republican Party?
There was, from each of the candidates, strong support for Israel, even though American Jews, by a nearly three-to-one margin, consider themselves Democrats, according to the Pew Research Center. There was general disapproval of big business – Mr. Ramaswamy attacked what he called “crony capitalism” – even though for decades the Republicans have been identified with corporate leaders. The GOP has been reshaped by Mr. Trump. These four candidates reflect Mr. Trump’s legacy – but also broader shifts within the party.