Meet The 7 Candidates Confirmed For The Second GOP Debate

"Mean Ron" DeSantis needs out of his cage. Nikki Haley ought to showcase her foreign policy chops. And Tim Scott, well, he needs to do a lot better.

Those were the general sentiments of several political experts who spoke with The Messenger ahead of the second Republican presidential debate Wednesday. While former President Donald Trump holds a double-digit lead in polls, the race for second place is hot and heavy – and the first GOP primaries are still four months away.

“I am skeptical that any of these candidates can change the trajectory of this race at this point,” said Inside Elections analyst and reporter Jacob Rubashkin. Republican primary voters “are pretty clear about what they want and who they want in their presidential candidate,” he added. “And that is Trump.” 

Still, seven of the top candidates are set to appear on stage together at the Ronald Reagan Presidential Library in California in an effort to do just that. 

DeSantis, Florida’s governor, will be center stage in between venture capitalist Vivek Ramaswamy and Haley, a former South Carolina governor and U.N. ambassador. Former New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie and Scott, a South Carolina senator, will flank Haley and Ramaswamy. And former Vice President Mike Pence and North Dakota Gov. Doug Burgum will be at the wings. 

Trump will be notably absent once again, and instead plans to deliver a speech in Michigan to a crowd of striking auto-workers. The speech is not only counterprogramming to the Republican presidential debate, but also comes as President Joe Biden also made his way to the competitive swing state this week where he joined protesters on the picket line. 

Although Trump appears to have his sights already set on the general election and Biden as his main opponent, it’s still several months out from the Iowa caucuses and New Hampshire and South Carolina’s presidential primary elections. 

“A week in politics is like a lifetime in real life, so a lot of things can change,” Austin Barbour, a Republican strategist who was also working for Asa Hutchinson’s SuperPAC, previously told The Messenger.

As the primary field continues to narrow, it’s up to each candidate to continue — and grow — any momentum they may have seen from the last debate and in early battleground states in front of a national audience on Wednesday night. 

Ron DeSantis 

Other than Trump, no candidate in the primary has received more media attention than DeSantis, whose slow-motion descent in the polls, campaign shakeups and struggles to connect with voters have been chronicled in excruciating detail.

DeSantis’s last debate performance was workmanlike and, though some in his orbit initially said he won, they eventually came to the conclusion he could have done more to seize the initiative.

More of his allies want him to figuratively knock skulls on stage, but it could be risky.

“They need to let Mean Ron out,” said David Carney, a top Republican consultant and presidential campaign veteran. “The problem is that Dr. Jekyll has been ineffective. But Mr. Hyde has limited appeal. How much Trump vote can Mean Ron get? And what's that do to the 65 percent or so of the party that really isn't with Trump?”

Word among DeSantis allies is that he’ll endeavor to stand out more, but what that looks like is anyone’s guess.

“Part of the problem was Ron war-gamed for being at center stage and having a target on his back, but no one came after him,” said one DeSantis insider who was not authorized to speak publicly about the campaign. “It’s hard to counterpunch when no one’s punching you.”

Alex Conant, a spokesman for Florida Sen. Marco Rubio’s 2016 campaign, said DeSantis can no longer say he’s the clear Trump alternative, which he needs to fix.

“This is not a two-man race. This is a multi-candidate race and that’s a problem for DeSantis,” he said. “DeSantis still hasn’t found a message that explains why he’s better than Trump. He hasn’t broken through.  So the question of this debate is can he or anyone else with a real shot at being president do anything that changes the trajectory of the race?”

Nikki Haley 

Haley received praise for her first debate performance, where she stood out on foreign policy issues, shared a somewhat moderate stance on abortion, and delivered memorable zingers against Ramaswamy that were met with audience cheers. 

"Nikki has a chance to shine more,'' Saul Anuzis, former chair of the Michigan GOP, told The Messenger. 

But on the flip side, Anuzis said for Haley to do so, she “has to not make mistakes."

Haley has slowly but steadily been rising in the polls. A poll released on Monday, conducted by the Saint Anselm College Survey Center at the New Hampshire Institute of Politics, showed Haley in second place behind Trump amongst likely New Hampshire Republican primary election voters. 

“Haley is getting a second look from a lot of people,” Rubashkin told The Messenger. “She may be … the one who has the most to gain from a strong performance.” 

Tim Scott 

Scott, who invested heavily in Iowa and New Hampshire, appeared to lose some steam after his performance in the first Republican debate. 

Rubashkin described Scott as a candidate with “a unique background for a Republican,” and noted that he has “a lot of money,” and “a lot of support from the party elite.” 

“He’s as well-versed or better-versed on policy than anyone else on the stage,” said Gregg Keller, a Republican strategist. “I think he could make the case that on that stage, he is the best qualified to be President of the United States.” 

But he “does not have a showman’s personality,” Keller said, adding that “he’s almost too humble for his own good.”  

His first debate performance was lackluster: "Tim Scott didn’t really have any good moments,” Anuzis said. “I guess he was waiting for that one perfect moment and it never came to him. When you hear him give speeches, he’s great. But the debate wasn’t that moment."

The second debate could be make or break for candidates, and according to Anuzis, "This debate will weed out some of the weaker candidates because their fundraising is going to dry up and you’re going to have a different perspective from voters."

Conant, the former spokesperson for Marco Rubio’s 2016 presidential campaign, noted that Scott “is still a real factor in Iowa.” 

Vivek Ramaswamy 

Ramaswamy stole the spotlight at the first debate, going up against nearly every candidate one-on-one. As a result, he made a name for himself, which was a feat for a candidate who has never held political office. 

 His biggest challenge this time? 

“He has not figured out how to sustain his momentum,” Rubashkin said. 

Although the first debate “catapulted him into the national conversation, it also exposed him to a lot of incoming from these other candidates, and a lot of scrutiny,” Rubashkin added, noting that he has specifically come under fire for saying “different things to different audiences.” 

For example, earlier this month, Ramaswamy appeared to shift on the issue of abortion, saying that he believed life “begins at conception,” after previously stating that, because of brain activity, life should be seen as beginning at six weeks. 

According to a Monmouth University Poll released on Tuesday, among Republican and Republican-leaning voters nationally, Ramaswamy was in fifth place between Nikki Haley and Tim Scott. 

Now, it's up to Ramaswamy to show that “he's not just a flash in the pan candidate,” Rubashkin said. 

Mike Pence 

Pence is another candidate who Rubashkin described as someone who “should be doing much better,” on paper, given his Republican political chops. But instead, he has been polling at the bottom of the pack. 

Pence had a standout moment during the first debate when he discussed his role standing up to Trump on Jan. 6, but as Rubashkin noted, he remains on the “polling bubble.” 

The former Vice President’s role certifying the 2020 election on Jan. 6 has put him in a unique position compared to his opponents, as many of the candidates in the Republican field have been careful to not come out against Trump — particularly regarding his actions on that day, which are now at the center of a federal legal battle. 

While the majority of Republican candidates have tip-toed around Trump’s federal indictment involving his attempt to overturn the 2020 election, Pence strongly condemned Trump’s actions. Considering Trump is currently leading the pack by double digits, this likely isn’t helping Pence amongst Trump supporters. But for the entirety of Trump’s presidency, Pence was seen as Trump’s right-hand man — leaving the former Indiana governor without a clear lane for support. 

“Pence is really kind of struggling everywhere,” Rubashkin said, adding that this debate could make or break the former Vice President’s bid. 

Chris Christie 

The only other candidate who has come out fiercely against Trump is Christie, which has largely been seen as the entire premise for his presidential run. 

“Chris Christie is kind of the odd guy on the stage,” Rubashkin said. “Christie obviously has no path to the nomination. … But he, of all of these people, has such a clearly defined purpose for his run.” 

During the first debate, Christie was met with “boos” after criticizing the former President, and stating he would not support Trump as the Republican nominee if he were convicted: “Whether or not you believe that the criminal charges are right or wrong, the conduct is beneath the office of the president of the United States,” he said. 

However, without Trump on the debate stage, Christie has yet to have an opportunity to face-off directly against the former President. 

“He's detested by most Republicans,” Rubashin told The Messenger. “But he's found himself a niche.” 

Doug Burgum

Although Burgum qualified for Wednesday’s debate, “he got it by the skin of his teeth this time,” Rubashkin said, which could continue to be his biggest challenge heading into Wednesday night.

But Burgum’s luck might already be looking up after the first debate. He was almost unable to attend the first presidential debate in Milwaukee after tearing his Achilles tendon.