What was said about Arizona's abortion initiative and other takeaways from 2nd GOP debate

The Republican candidates for president, excluding former President Donald Trump, had their second debate Wednesday with a sometimes raucous back-and-forth that included discussions of top Arizona issues such as the border and the expected statewide ballot measure on abortion rights.

Participating were North Dakota Gov. Doug Burgum; former New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie; Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis; former United Nations Ambassador and South Carolina Gov. Nikki Haley; former Vice President Mike Pence; businessman Vivek Ramaswamy; and Sen. Tim Scott of South Carolina.

Hosts were Dana Perino and Stuart Varney of Fox News and Ilia Calderón of Univision.

Former Arkansas Gov. Asa Hutchinson, who was in the first debate, did not meet the second debate's criteria. Former President Donald Trump declined to participate, and gave a speech in Michigan instead.

Here are five key takeaways from Wednesday's debate:

Arizona Republicans who oppose Trump don't see standout alternative

Some Arizona Republicans who watched the debate Wednesday said it was more substantive than the first debate, despite multiple occasions where the candidates were talking over one another and interrupting.

But they didn’t see a big breakout by any of the candidates. The Arizona Republic specifically reached out to Republicans who have made it known that they do not support Trump for president in 2024 because the former president was again not on the debate stage.

Shane Wikfors is an Arizona blogger and former political consultant who supports Republicans, but not another term for Trump.

“I felt they were a lot more on target,” he said comparing the event to the first GOP debate. “And Joe Biden was the target, but at some point they did turn their guns on each other in a couple different engagements. That was somewhat entertaining but also reflective of how divided the party is in some regards.”

While not leaning toward any of the candidates, he said he likes Christie and Haley so far.

“(Christie) was much more truthful in laying out what the situation is within the Republican party. He took a lot more direct aim at Trump. And I feel that direct aim paid off,” Wikfors said.

“(Haley) seemed to come off as the intellectual in the room and the most knowledgeable on a number of issues.”

He said DeSantis performed poorly Wednesday and that Ramaswamy “comes off as inexperienced and to a certain degree sophomoric.”

Ramaswamy took intense criticism from Haley at times, including over his position on the social media app TikTok and it's ties to China.

Tyler Montague is another Arizona Republican who does not support Trump. He is president of the conservative nonprofit Public Integrity Alliance.

He didn’t think any particular candidate will see big moves in the polls based on their debate performances.

He thought DeSantis and Haley both did well Wednesday.

“Among the back-benchers I think Christie did best. He had a great way to approach the life issue. You have to be pro-entire life, including treating addiction. That is a winning type of message for crossover votes, for moderates,” Montague said.

He noted that DeSantis, Haley and Christie all seemed to land notable hits on Trump for his record and for not showing up. Christie early in the debate joked he would nickname Trump “Donald Duck” for ducking the debates.

“That one was a little bit corny, but the one at the end. I thought that one landed,” Montague said.

At the end of the debate, the candidates were asked to write down which person on that stage should bow out of the race to make way for one of the others to defeat Trump. Christie said he respected all of the people on stage with him because they were brave enough to stand before voters and take questions, while Trump was not.

Arizona’s abortion ballot measure invoked late in debate

Arizona was invoked about an hour and 45 minutes into the debate when DeSantis was asked how he would appeal to voters in the state who will also likely be deciding a ballot measure that would enshrine the right to abortion, which likely will be supported by Democrats and bring many to the polls.

A coalition of advocacy groups launched a campaign to put a constitutional amendment on the ballot next year asking Arizona voters to protect and expand abortion rights in the state.DeSantis said he had success in Florida even in places typically thought of as liberal.

“We were wining in places like Miami-Dade County, Palm Beach,” he said. “I reject the idea that pro-lifers are to blame for midterm defeats.”

He turned back to Trump and again criticized him for not showing up to defend his record for electoral losses during his tenure.

DeSantis said Republicans need to hold Democrats accountable for “extremism” supporting abortion “all the way up to the moment of birth.”

The question then went to Christie, with Perino adding that Republicans have lost elections on the abortion issue.

Christie emphasized that he was the only Republican on the stage who was elected in a Democrat or blue state.

“That is where the fight is really tough for Republicans,” he said, adding that he has experience winning over voters while fighting abortion.

“What we did is 14 times in eight years I vetoed Planned Parenthood funding. I kept saying no because I believe in life,” Christie said.

The Republican rivals share hardline attitudes on border security

Immigration took center stage early on in debate. Moderators asked questions of the candidates tied to the border and immigration 20 minutes into the start. That stands in contrast to the first debate, where immigration didn't come up for more than an hour.

The moderators asked the candidates pointed questions about their stances and past comments on immigration and the border.

Calderón kicked off the section on immigration playing comments from President Ronald Reagan talking about a law he championed that provided amnesty to roughly 3 million undocumented immigrants in 1986.

She asked Christie whether he should support a pathway to citizenship for the estimated 11 million undocumented immigrants living in the United States.

Christie said he supported legal immigration, saying millions of jobs are available to those who entered the country lawfully. But he said security at the border needed to be beefed up and called for the deployment of additional National Guard troops. Anyone who crossed illegally should be sent back, Christie said.

Hailey accused Biden of encouraging illegal immigration with his policies. She also called for tougher measures at the border and internally, calling on the U.S. government to defund so-called “sanctuary cities” and instead use that money to strengthen security at the northern and southern borders.

DeSantis largely sidestepped a question about China’s growing influence in Latin America but used that time to rail against China and what he called a “surrender” by the Biden administration.

DeSantis said the U.S. needs to be tougher on China and cited his work as governor to prevent China from buying land in Florida.

Ramaswamy called for the militarization of the border, as well as defunding sanctuary cities and pressuring Mexico to do more. But he notably also called for a change to the 14th Amendment, which allows for birthright citizenship in the United States.

Scott leaned into the idea of doing away with birthright citizenship, arguing that the 14th Amendment was drafted to deal with the end of slavery, not with immigration. He argued that individuals who entered the country illegally are not subject to the Constitution and that their children are therefore not eligible for birthright citizenship.

Pence once again boasted about his work with immigration as vice president, including negotiating the creation of the Migrant Protection Protocols. He also called for greater border security measures and said he would pressure Congress to do more, such as finding a permanent solution for undocumented youth known as Dreamers.

Later in the debate, Ramaswamy was asked about how to stop fentanyl smuggling that largely comes through the ports of entry at the border. His response was to use the military to seal drug tunnels. He also said more needed to be done to stop the demand.

DeSantis also echoed past comments saying that he supported using the U.S. military to go after drug cartels.

Biden’s campaign issued a statement rebuking all of the Republican candidates, accusing them of supporting failed immigration policies championed by Trump, calling them political gimmicks.

"If MAGA Republicans actually cared about securing our border, they would not stand with House Republicans' proposed devastating cuts to border security that would eliminate hundreds of CBP staff and would surge thousands of pounds of drugs into the country," campaign spokesperson Kevin Munoz said. "Not one person on that stage is serious about enacting meaningful immigration reform, and it shows."

Absent Trump counterprogrammed by blasting Biden, electric vehicles

Former President Donald Trump has again decided not to debate his Republican primary rivals, and instead will delivered a prime-time speech in Detroit.

President Joe Biden visited union workers in Michigan on Tuesday and became the first sitting president in history to walk a picket line when he joined the United Auto Workers. The union is pushing for higher wages and other concessions from top manufacturing companies.

The union issued a statement rebuking Trump for his planned visit, but he’s did it anyhow, speaking at Drake Enterprises, a non-unionized auto parts supplier in Clinton Township.

UAW President Shawn Fain appeared on CNN this week and called it a “pathetic irony” that Trump would appear a the nonunion factory to appeal to union voters, and said Trump’s record has been decidedly anti-union.

According to the Associated Press, Drake Enterprises makes automotive and heavy-duty truck components, including gear shift levers for big trucks that could become obsolete if the industry incorporates electric vehicles.

Trump hit directly on that point throughout his remarks Wednesday, repeatedly criticizing electric vehicles and Biden’s policies incentivizing them.

“If you want to buy an electric car that’s absolutely fine I’m all for it but we should not be forcing consumers to buy electric vehicles,” Trump said. “They are going to destroy the supply chain.”

In his characteristic, wandering style, Trump tied that issue to school choice.

“I want choice in schools and in the purchase of automobiles,” Trump said.

He also said the electric batteries on semi trucks are so large they leave little room for cargo.

“The auto industry is being assassinated,” Trump continued. “These are built specifically for people who want to take very short trips.”

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He accused Biden of wanting to outlaw electric vehicles, which Trump said he would not do.

The Biden administration immediately replied to Trump’s comments, issuing a lengthy statement that criticized Trump’s record for allowing U.S. companies to offshore labor during his presidency.

It also said the Inflation Reduction Act Biden signed into law was specifically aimed at keeping U.S. manufacturing strong by incentivizing U.S. made products.

“Donald Trump is lying about President Biden’s agenda to distract from his failed track record of trickle-down tax cuts, closed factories, and jobs outsourced to China,” Munoz said in a prepared statement.

"There is no ‘EV mandate.’ Simply put: Trump had the United States losing the EV race to China and if he had his way, the jobs of the future would be going to China. President Biden is delivering where Donald Trump failed by bringing manufacturing back home, and with it, good-paying jobs for the American people."

The hopefuls backed boosting oil and gas drilling to lower energy prices

As gas and oil costs rise again, the moderators asked Republican candidates how they plan to bring energy prices down.

Ramaswamy said he would ensure America takes advantage of its domestic natural resources despite limitations in the courts and the administrative state.

Pointing to energy policies in the Trump-Pence administration, Pence pledged to open federal lands for drilling and promote an “all of the above” energy strategy.

“I believe in the next 10 years with the right policies and leadership experience in the White House, we can reclaim our role as the leading energy producer on Earth,” Pence said. “That will grow the American economy for generations to come.”

Haley also favored energy independence, saying energy security ensures national security. She accused DeSantis of banning oil fracking and drilling in Florida, which DeSantis adamantly denied. He cited his commitment to American energy dominance in west Texas that favors oil and gas production over environmentally friendly policies.

Burgum spoke on his North Dakota track record for opposing the Biden administration in court to allow oil and gas leases on public lands.

“We are fighting the Biden administration on 20 fronts. Energy economy, national security I’ve been talking about it since day one,” he said. “We’ve got the answer in North Dakota.”

Candidates addressed education controversies

The candidates were asked about some of the hot-button issues related to public education, and offered their take on the most challenging issues.

Haley took a question on how to improve education, and responded by saying that she would strive to improve performance on reading and other subjects before jumping into more controversial social issues regarding education.

“We’ve got to quit spending time on this DEI and CRT,” she said, referring to the acronyms for “diversity, equity and inclusion” and “critical race theory.”

Christie was asked about school performance in New Jersey being low, and responded by saying that the gap between minority student performance improved during his tenure.

He said the problem was unions.

“This public school system is no longer run by the public. It is run by the teachers unions in this country,” Christie said before referring to First Lady Jill Biden, who teaches at a community college. “When you have the president of the United States sleeping with a member of the teacher’s union there is no chance you can take the stranglehold of the teachers union away.”

DeSantis was asked about his previous comments about education in his state and how it addresses slavery.

Florida’s education standards have been criticized for emphasizing that some Black people benefitted from slavery.

DeSantis, responding to reporter questions in July, said “They’re probably going to show that some of the folks that eventually parlayed, you know, being a blacksmith into doing things later in life.”

DeSantis responded to the question saying his comments were a “hoax” promoted by Vice President Kamala Harris.

He said changes he’s made in Florida now emphasize civics and the U.S. Constitution.

This article originally appeared on Arizona Republic: GOP debate takeaways