What to know about the second Republican presidential debate
- The second Republican debate of the 2024 election cycle was held at the Ronald Reagan Presidential Library and Museum in Simi Valley, California.
- Seven candidates were on the stage: North Dakota Gov. Doug Burgum, former New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie, Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis, former United Nations Ambassador Nikki Haley, former Vice President Mike Pence, businessman Vivek Ramaswamy and Sen. Tim Scott of South Carolina.
- As with the first debate, former President Donald Trump did not attend.
- Christie continued to take swings at Trump, but he was joined by DeSantis and Pence in criticizing the former president.
- Haley and Scott squared off. And so did Haley and DeSantis, who struggled to be heard at the start of the debate.
NBC News is watching the debate at Aase Haugen, a Christian retirement community in Decorah, Iowa, with seven caucusgoers.
Six Iowa caucusgoers remain at the end of the debate. Three thought Pence won, two chose Ramaswamy, and one said Trump won because nobody else impressed.
See the rundown of candidate attacks with the NBC News debate attack tracker.
NBC News is watching the debate at Aase Haugen, a Christian retirement community in Decorah, Iowa, with seven caucusgoers.
Eleanor Jirak, 92, voted for Hillary Clinton in 2016 and Biden in 2020 but disagrees with the president on abortion and is undecided about whom she’s supporting in 2024.
She describes herself as "pro-life" and says she has been impressed by Pence’s stance tonight.
"Abortion is bad, because God doesn’t make junk," she says.
NBC News is watching the debate at New England College with eight college students who vote in New Hampshire.
“I liked what Chris Christie said: ‘If you’re going to be pro-life, you need to be pro-life for the entire life,’” said Hannah Peterson, 21, an independent New Hampshire voter who attends Saint Anselm College.
“I think in the pro-life discussion, many politicians don’t discuss how they are going to provide for families beyond pregnancies," she continued. "If abortion bans are being enforced, we need to make sure that families are getting the care and support that they need to provide for these children. Candidates don’t ever consider the lives of the mothers involved in the pregnancies."
Peterson pointed out that the male candidates were the ones discussing abortion policy, "which disproportionately affects women. The well-being of women should be prioritized, first and foremost, and all life — especially the mother’s — should be considered when discussing these complicated policies.”
The Biden campaign is seeking to highlight the brief exchange about abortion near the end of the debate.
Campaign spokesperson Kevin Munoz called out Republican candidates’ supporting an abortion ban “as early as six weeks.”
“Since Roe was overturned, Americans have rejected MAGA Republicans’ anti-abortion extremism — and they’ll do it again in 2024,” Munoz said in a statement.
'Worst debate perhaps of all time'
A Republican not affiliated with any of the candidates says: "Worst debate perhaps of all time."
Trump senior adviser Chris LaCivita is calling for the RNC to cancel future primary debates.
"Tonight’s GOP debate was as boring and inconsequential as the first debate, and nothing that was said will change the dynamics of the primary contest being dominated by President Trump," LaCivita posted on X, formerly Twitter. "The RNC should immediately put an end to any further primary debates so we can train our fire on Crooked Joe Biden and quit wasting time and money that could be going to evicting Biden from the White House."
Closing statements are almost always useless, and the Fox Business moderators were probably wise to avoid them.
The debate is over — but stick around for some responses from the spin room and the voters NBC News has been watching the debate with.
NBC News is watching the debate at New England College with eight college students who vote in New Hampshire
Nathan Shrader, an associate professor of politics at New England College, summed up the debate in one sentence: “I think Trump is winning.”