Republican debate live updates: Nikki Haley and Ron DeSantis lead candidates on stage in Miami

The third Republican primary debate will take place tonight, broadcast by NBC News at the Adrienne Arsht Center for the Performing Arts in Miami, Florida.

To qualify, candidates needed to reach at least four per cent in two national polls, or four per cent in one national poll and four per cent in two early primary states.

They also need 70,000 individual donors, including 200 donors in 20 states, according to the requirements set by the Republican National Committee (RNC).

Five candidates have qualified for the showdown – Florida Governor Ron DeSantis, biotech entrepreneur and woke-bashing author Vivek Ramaswamy, former UN Ambassador and ex-South Carolina Governor Nikki Haley, South Carolina Senator Tim Scott, and former New Jersey Governor Chris Christie.

Former President Donald Trump has also qualified but has said that, like the first two debates, he won’t attend. He will instead hold a rally in Hialeah, Florida, not far from Miami, as a form of counter-programming.

Follow live for the latest updates as the showdown at 8pm draws nearer.

Key points

• Five things to watch in tonight’s GOP debate: Experts on the ‘fight for second place’

• Trump aims to upstage another GOP debate with Miami rally speech

• Republican 2024 candidates are walking the abortion line. One question is throwing them off balance

• Where the Republican candidates stand on the war in Ukraine

• Nikki Haley’s star is rising. But can she catch up to Trump?

With the candidates heading to the spin room, who won the debate?

03:30 , Oliver O'Connell

Republican presidential candidates descended on Miami for a debate on Wednesday – and the third one without former president Donald Trump sharing the stage.

All of the Republican candidates continue to trail behind the twice-impeached, four-times-indicted former president. Still, some of the sharpest exchanges took place when discussing foreign policy, the Israel-Hamas war, Russia’s incursion into Ukraine and China’s rising influence. Many of the Republican presidential candidates once again attacked Vivek Ramaswamy as the millennial businessman came out swinging.

Eric Garcia picks the winners and losers from the third Republican debate.

Who won the third Republican debate?

Closing statements

02:59 , Oliver O'Connell

Scott: We need a great reawakening and “turn from victimhood to victory, stop kneeling in protest and kneel in prayer”.

Christie: I will open up my heart to every American as president.

Ramaswamy: We are at war with those who don’t like our founding principles and a fringe minority. He then tells the Democrats to end the Biden candidacy which he calls a lie and put up their real candidate suggesting Michelle Obama or Gavin Newsom.

Haley: A strong America doesn’t start wars, a strong America prevents wars. We cannot do that with politicians from the 20th Century, we need politicians from the 21st Century.

DeSantis: I’m doing this for you. I delivered on all my promises for Florida and will do the same for the US as president.

Abortion and last night’s election result

02:49 , Oliver O'Connell

What does last night’s election result mean for the Republican Party in regard to abortion?

DeSantis: I stand for a culture of life.

Haley: Pro-life but the focus needs to be on consensus because the states are deciding and there are areas in which there can be cooperation.

Scott: I want a 15-week limit on abortions.

Haley responds: Let’s see what we can agree on, but don’t make the American people you are going to push something on them when you don’t have the votes in the Senate to do what you are saying.

Ramaswamy: Sexual responsibility for men.

Christie: This is an issue to be decided in each state.

New question: Southern border and fentanyl crisis

02:39 , Oliver O'Connell

Scott: If we want to deal with deaths from fentanyl, we need to deal with it at ports of entry and through the southern border.

Christie: Executive order to have National Guard partner with Customs and border agents at ports of entry and southern border. The country also needs to treat people with drug problems.

DeSantis: We’re going to shoot them stone-cold dead.

Haley: End all normal trade relations with China until the flow of fentanyl stops. Then attack cartels. Then deal with border, sanctuary cities, and move from catch and release to catch and deport. She agrees with Christie on the focus on mental health and addiction.

Ramaswamy: Use our own military to protect our own border and not fight foreign wars.

Biden campaign sees debate as ‘afterthought’ with focus on Trump

02:25 , Oliver O'Connell

Social security & entitlements

02:23 , Oliver O'Connell

Nikki Haley: Any candidate that tells you they're not going to take on entitlements is not being serious. She notes that Social Security will go bankrupt in 10 years and Medicare in eight. She lumps DeSantis in with "Trump, Biden and Pelosi" for not tackling reform.

Questioning turns to the economy

02:17 , Oliver O'Connell

After more than an hour, the first question about the economy is asked.

Scott called for more pipelines and domestic drilling and said he would sign the Keystone XL pipeline deal.

DeSantis wants to rip up every part of Bidenomics and throw it in the trash.

Ramaswamy wants to ramp up the supply of everything from energy to housing.

Haley: We need to beef up the middle class by eliminating the federal gas tax to help those in rural areas as well as going after earmarks, Covid fraud, and stop the expansion of the IRS.

“I’ll veto any spending bill that doesn’t go back to pre-Covid levels,” she says.

Watch: ‘Leave my daughter out of your voice ... You’re just scum'

02:09 , Oliver O'Connell

New question: Would you ban TikTok?

02:02 , Oliver O'Connell

Christie: TikTok is not just spyware, it is polluting minds — the example of the last few weeks with antisemitic propaganda finding its way into the US. He says it will be banned in his first week in office. China blocks US social media.

DeSantis: Agrees and says he is also concerned about the effect on the minds of the young. He says it is part of a full spectrum approach to combating China.

Haley: Does not answer the question but decides to respond to an attack by DeSantis on China and investment in their respective state.

Ramaswamy: Attacks Haley over Chinese investment and then mentions her daughter using TikTok.

Haley: "Leave my daughter out of your voice ... you're just scum."

Watch: Candidates asked about military readiness and China

01:55 , Oliver O'Connell

Trump outpacing GOP debate on Rumble

01:54 , Oliver O'Connell

As the GOP debate reaches its first break, former president Donald Trump is on stage in Hialeah, Florida, only a few miles from the action other five candidates for the Republican nomination.

On streaming service Rumble he is pulling in approximately 120,000 viewers, while the Republican debate just 70,000 — though it is also being broadcast on NBC, MSNBC and the network’s own streaming servcies.

Watch: Ramaswamy attacks Zelensky

01:44 , Oliver O'Connell

New topic: Ukraine

01:42 , Oliver O'Connell

The question on support for Ukraine is first given to Scott who doesn’t directly say whether he would keep funding Ukraine or stop funding Ukraine and pivots to talking about the southern border.

Ramaswamy eagerly awaits his turn to answer and launches into an anti-Ukraine, anti-Zelensky screed, calling the Ukrainian president “a comedian in cargo shorts”.

Haley is up next and says Putin and Xi are salivating at the thought of someone like Ramaswamy getting into the White House.

Christie agrees with Haley and calls Ramaswamuy’s approach immature and say those that do not remember history will repeat it, reminding Americans that the last time the US turned away from a shooting war in Europe it bought them only a couple of years.

DeSantis dodges the Ukraine funding question by saying he won’t send US troops there (but will to the border) but won’t say whether he supports continuing to fund the war or not.

Questioning moves on to antisemitism

01:34 , Oliver O'Connell

Ramaswamy separates from the other candidates about antisemitism in colleges by arguing that punishing anti-Israel speech would be a slippery slope.

The other candidates argue that colleges need to act and punish anti-semitism and pro-Hamas speech.

DeSantis points out he was first to call for foreign students to be deported over antisemitism and mocks Joe Biden for his initiative to fight “so-called islamophobia”.

Christie says he combatted hate crimes against Jews and Muslims as US attorney in New Jersey during the Bush administration after 9/11.

"You must work with both sides ... but let us never have a false moral equivalence."

Haley compares antisemitism with racism and says: “If the KKK were doing this, every college president would be up in arms.”

01:22 , Oliver O'Connell

Vivek Ramaswamy goes after Nikki Haley and DeSantis over Middle East/foreign policy:

Do you want a leader from a different generation who's going to put this country first? Or do you want Dick Cheney in 3-inch heels? In this case we've got two of them on stage now.

And Haley fires back: "I'd first like to say they're 5-inch heels and I don't wear them unless you can run in them. ... The second thing I would say is I wear heels and they're not for a fashion statement. They're for ammunition."

Second question: Israel-Hamas war

01:19 , Oliver O'Connell

The candidates are asked what they would tell Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.

DeSantis and Haley: Finish the job.

Ramaswamy: I would go one further Israel has the right to defend itself - I would tell him to smoke the terrorists on his southern border and I would do the same on our southern border.

Scott: Wipe Hamas off of the map and the US should cut off the head of the snake and strike Iran.

Christie: America is here to preserve the state of Israel but Israeli intelligence failed and this requires more cooperation.

01:13 , Oliver O'Connell

Christie: I’ll say this about Donald Trump — Anybody who’s going to be spending the next year and a half of their life focusing on keeping themselves out of jail and courtrooms cannot lead this party or this country.

Scott: The truth of my life destroys the lies of the radical left and says he wants to restore our Christian values.

First question: Why should supporters of Donald Trump support you?

01:11 , Oliver O'Connell

DeSantis: Blames the elites in the country for current problems. “Donald Trump is a lot different guy than he was in 2016,” he says, however: “As we saw last night, I’m sick of Republicans losing. In Florida, I showed how it’s done.”

Haley: Donald Trump was the right president at the right time but that is not the case now.

Ramaswamy: We’ve become a party of losers. I will “yield my time to you he tells Ronna McDaniel if she’s willing to walk on stage and resign, before attacking the media and NBC for hosting the debate — This should be Tucker Carlson, Joe Rogan and Elon Musk.

01:00 , Oliver O'Connell

What could bring Trump back to the debate stage?

00:59 , Oliver O'Connell

When asked what it would take for Mr Trump to return to the debate stage, Dr Thompson mentioned dropping polls and sky-high ratings for the debates as possible incentives.

“If you see a big jump for Haley, Scott, or DeSantis, and a big decline, measurable in the high single digits, that might be enough for him ... because he is very good at understanding the media ... that he needs to be a bigger part of the conversations that people are paying attention to,” he said.

“Another thing that might bring him back is record viewing ... if the numbers are off the charts for this debate, and seemed like they would follow suit for debate number four, he might come back for that,” he said, adding that “if something measurable happens for him in any one of his many pending legal cases, he might decide that he needs a bigger platform”.

Will Trump-stand-in Ramaswamy be sidelined?

00:45 , Gustaf Kilander

“I see him trying to” remain as a stand-in for Mr Trump “and kind of turning stuff up to 11,” Dr Thompson says of Mr Ramaswamy.

“I predict that he’ll be more marginalized in this debate, that the three candidates that I think have a puncher’s chance would be DeSantis, Haley and Scott, and that they will tend to focus their discussion on each other, marginalizing both Christie and Ramaswamy,” he adds.

“They see him as not a member of their club, which in many ways he is not,” Dr Thompson says of Mr Ramaswamy, who’s in his late 30s and has never held public office.

“He’s gotten attention by being loud, by saying incendiary things, and by being non-traditional, and so he’ll try more of that,” he adds, noting that his rivals “may try the good parenting approach – when your child’s having a tantrum, you kind of ignore them, and then all of a sudden, three minutes later you notice the tantrum is over”.

“By paying attention, you only magnify the effect of it,” he adds.

Christie: ‘Some men just want to watch the world burn’

00:30 , Gustaf Kilander

Mr Christie has been waging what’s seen by many as a kamikaze campaign to take down Mr Trump, so far to no avail.

“I think Chris Christie just wants to watch the world burn ... he’s a bomb thrower. And I think he’s going to continue throwing bombs,” Dr Thompson says. “He’s going to accuse everyone on the stage of kind of kowtowing to Donald Trump, not being able to beat Donald Trump and he’ll continue to criticize Trump ... I predict more of the same from Christie.”

Dr Thompson adds that “it’s not impossible that the metrics for the fourth debate come out and Christie would be on the edge or maybe not able to meet them. So he might try something a little more radical in this debate, to bolster himself one last time so that you can stay in the following rounds”.

“He goes to these forums and gets booed, and he continues to take on Trump. And that’s his line,” Dr McKinney says. “To give him credit, I think this is what he fundamentally believes.”

Tim Scott: Does the GOP want a happy warrior?

00:15 , Gustaf Kilander

As many of the GOP’s most dedicated supporters, many of them backing Mr Trump, want nothing more than grievance politics and thrashing the left.

In that environment, Mr Scott is attempting to break through with soaring rhetoric and a happy warrior campaigning style. But the question is, does the GOP want that?

“People are voting against someone instead of for someone ... it really makes negativity important, because people want to hear why they want to be voting against the other person, instead of how great a candidate is,” Dr Thompson says.

“I’ll also say, though, that the fundamentals of American optimism may not have completely evaporated yet. We saw Trump really capitalize on grievance politics in 2016. And the country has been through hard things. But the country has always gone through hard things,” he adds.

He argues that the US has been an “optimistic nation” for a long time. “So I think that it’s technically a mistake to only stress the negative and that it’s possible that a candidate with an optimistic message, even today’s Republican Party could break through”.

Dr McKinney adds that “his issue positions and his narrative contains those elements” that are traditionally Republican.

“Nikki Haley has had some very useful responses to Tim Scott that have weakened Tim Scott’s appeal somewhat in terms of the effectiveness of his arguments and his lines of attack,” he notes.

VIDEO: Five Candidates to Face Off in Wednesday’s GOP Debate

00:00 , Gustaf Kilander

NBC co-hosting debate with rightwing media group

Wednesday 8 November 2023 23:30 , Gustaf Kilander

When hosting the debate, NBC News is working with the Salem Media Group, a conservative media group that one of its executives has said “bankrolled” a documentary about false 2020 election claims.

The group co-hosted four debates with CNN during the 2016 election. Since then, many of its top broadcasters on talk radio and podcasts have made increasingly aggressive and bizarre remarks about politicians and social issues, The Washington Post notes.

NBC now faces criticism for working with the group, despite that there may not have been an option not to do so if the network wished to host a GOP primary debate.

Salem was put forward to work with NBC on the debate by the Republican National Committee.

Conservative radio host Hugh Hewitt, a Salem broadcaster, will be one of the moderators, but an NBC spokesperson said the network will have full editorial control.

Brian Rosenwald wrote a 2019 book outlining the history of talk radio. He told The Post that “this is a major mistake for NBC”.

“I think it really undermines their journalistic credibility,” he added.

The Independent has reached out to NBC for comment.

Will the DeSantis attacks on Trump keep coming?

Wednesday 8 November 2023 23:15 , Gustaf Kilander

Dr McKinney says that the Florida governor appears to be becoming more comfortable attacking Mr Trump as the campaign goes on.

After not going after the former president in the first debate, he “kind of dipped his toe in the water” in the second debate, arguing that Mr Trump is unelectable, an argument weakened by recent polling showing Mr Trump ahead of President Joe Biden.

Dr McKinney notes that Mr DeSantis’s debate performances “certainly have not helped him ... and some of that seems to be, although he’s been governor, his lack of preparation for the national stage”.

He adds that “we’ve seen several faux pas of campaign strategy and other things coming from the DeSantis campaign,” noting that he’s all over the place on attacking or not attacking Mr Trump.

“His debate performances and use of these debates have simply demonstrated there’s some awkwardness there” and a “lack of preparation – certainly not in any way as prepared as Nikki Haley,” he says.

On the other hand, Dr Thompson says Mr DeSantis’s “approach is consistent and doesn’t involve a ton of creativity. I don’t mean that negatively – he’s found something that works and he’s sticking to it.

“What’s working for him are his talking points about successes in Florida – MAGA conservatism will bring former Trump voters ... He’s taken a slightly more aggressive approach toward Donald Trump recently, but it’s always kind of toeing the line, remaining respectable.”

“He’s really looking to secure Trump voters and so he wants to do that in a way that is as effective as possible,” he adds.

‘I’ve never lost a race, I’m not going to start now,’ Haley says ahead debate

Wednesday 8 November 2023 23:00 , Gustaf Kilander

Will Haley continue to take centre stage?

Wednesday 8 November 2023 22:45 , Gustaf Kilander

Dr Thompson says he mainly looking out for two things – can former UN Ambassador and South Carolina Governor Nikki Haley “continue to perform incredibly well in the debates, creating distance between herself and the other candidates?”

The second is if her fellow South Carolinian, Senator Tim Scott “can really enter the fray, I expect there to be a lot of back and forth between [Florida Governor Ron] DeSantis and Haley, and I’m wondering if it gives Scott a chance to shine in his kind of positive optimistic vision for the Republican Party”.

Dr McKinney says Ms Haley has placed herself in the last of three camps in the GOP primary – those attacking Mr Trump head-on, those staying away from criticising the former president at all, and those attempting to criticise Mr Trump without upsetting his base.

He adds that she “has smartly figured out” a way to “question Donald Trump, his presidential performance, his decisions”. She will attack Mr Trump, but only “on the policy and issue-level, where she gets into some details and has facts and figures, whether it’s domestic policy, whether its budget, whether it’s international foreign policy”.

“She stays away from the in-the-gutter, personal character attacks, and I think that strategy allows her to be seen” as an “adult in the room... she attacks him, but it is not the [former New Jersey Governor] Chris Christie attack,” Dr McKinney notes.

“I think Nikki Haley has performed very well, I don’t see any reason why we would expect any different ... Christie will continue to go after Trump and [biotech entrepreneur] Vivek [Ramaswamy] will continue to try to be Donald Trump on the stage ... I don’t see anything fundamentally changing,” he adds.

Jimmy Kimmel mocks ‘non-viable’ GOP debate candidates with Avengers jab

Wednesday 8 November 2023 22:30 , Martha McHardy

Late-night host Jimmy Kimmel gave his review of five GOP presidential candidates he described as “non-viable” on Tuesday night, ahead of the third Republican primary debate.

The third GOP presidential debate is due to take place in Miami on Wednesday. So far, front-runner Donald Trump, who is currently embroiled in a civil fraud trial in New York, has not attended any of the primary debates.

The former president has indicated he sees no point in participating in the debates given his substantial lead over the other candidates in the polls.

He is not expected to attend the debate in Miami on Wednesday.

In his Tuesday night show, Mr Kimmel reviewed Mr Trump’s contenders, describing them as “non-viable”.

READ MORE

Five things to watch in tonight’s GOP debate: Experts on the ‘fight for second place’

Wednesday 8 November 2023 22:08 , Gustaf Kilander

The enduring consensus is that the Republican primary debates won’t change the dynamics of the race as long as former President Donald Trump retains his massive lead and as long as his deepening legal woes don’t threaten his candidacy.

Dr Jacob Thompson, the Associate Vice Provost for Undergraduate Education and the former head coach of the debate team at the University of Nevada, Las Vegas, describes the debate to The Independent on Wednesday afternoon a few hours before the candidates take the stage in Miami as the fight for “second place”.

Alternatively, it’s a battle for who will take the mantle if Mr Trump becomes a “non-viable candidate”.

Dr Thompson notes that “the future is hard to predict. We learned that very well in 2016. So you never know what could happen and that’s why so many people are still in the race”.

“The significance has been greatly reduced, I’m almost tempted to say rendered useless,” Mitchell McKinney, professor of political communication and Dean of the Buchtel College of Arts and Sciences at The University of Akron, tells The Independent of the debates.

Dr McKinney notes that a few months ago, “the decision for Donald Trump to stay away from the primary debates, to not participate, was questioned. I think that strategy has proven very useful for him, notwithstanding the fact that he’s tied up in court”.

“What he did in 2016 was to use the primary debates to sort of summarily one by one take down his opponents. And he did that through ... taunting and name-calling ... it’s become clear now that Donald Trump made the assessment that he was not willing to subject himself to that same treatment,” he adds.

With all that in mind, here are five things to watch out for in tonight’s debate:

Five things to watch in tonight’s GOP debate: Experts on the ‘fight for second place’

Trump aims to upstage another GOP debate with Miami rally speech

Wednesday 8 November 2023 22:00 , Gustaf Kilander

Donald Trump’s rally in Hialeah, Florida, will begin just an hour before the third Republican primary debate is set to take place in nearby Miami.

Supporters of the former president began queueing before dawn on Wednesday, more than 12 hours before Mr Trump was set to take the stage at around 7pm at the Ted Hendricks Stadium in Henry Milander Park.

Considering the average lengths of Mr Trump’s meandering campaign speeches, it’s possible he’s still talking as his rivals for the 2024 Republican presidential nomination take the stage at 8pm at the Arsht Center for the Performing Arts in Miami.

Parking and the lines to enter the rally venue were set to open at 8am with doors to the stadium opening up at 2pm and guest speakers beginning to appear on stage at about 6pm, CBS News notes.

Mr Trump has a massive lead over his competitors in the Republican primary, with Mr Trump having 56.5 per cent support in the average of national GOP primary polls as of 7 November put together by FiveThirtyEight.

READ MORE

Republican 2024 candidates are walking the abortion line. One question is throwing them off balance

Wednesday 8 November 2023 21:30 , Ariana Baio

The 2024 Republican candidates for president have an abortion problem.

At every campaign stop, town hall, debate and interview the elephant in the room manages to creep its way into the dialogue – how should a potential president approach the legality of abortion at the federal level, if at all?

For decades, the ideal GOP candidate would state their pro-life stance and disagree with the landmark Supreme Court case Roe v Wade to earn a gold star and potential endorsements.

But since the fall of Roe last year, the issue of abortion has become increasingly complicated and voters have made it clear they’re looking for a candidate who can take a nuanced approach to the subject.

Across the board, polling shows that most Americans believe abortion should be legal in most or all cases in the first trimester, regardless of party lines. Simultaneously, the same majority of voters also believe abortions should be illegal in the third trimester.

Yet, when candidates are confronted with the issue, many display an obvious struggle to remain loyal to the Republican party’s long-held belief while extending a compromising hand to the rest of the country.

READ MORE

Where the Republican candidates stand on the war in Ukraine

Wednesday 8 November 2023 21:00 , Gustaf.Kilander

As President Joe Biden likes to remind anyone who’ll listen, “This is not your grandfather’s Republican Party”.

One of the issues where that’s becoming more evident by the day is Ukraine.

John McCain, the late Arizona Senator and 2008 GOP presidential candidate, sounded the alarm about Russia for years, making him one of President Vladimir Putin’s “greatest antagonists,” the Arizona Republic noted in February 2022, days after the Russian invasion began.

During the last year of his presidency in 2008, George W Bush said he “strongly supported” eventual Nato membership for Ukraine and Georgia. Last year, in a viral gaffe, he mistakenly said Iraq when he meant to call the war in Ukraine “unjustified and brutal”.

His younger brother, Jeb Bush, a former Florida Governor, went to Europe in 2015 shortly before announcing his presidential campaign.

READ MORE

The Republican candidates have learned from Trump’s legal woes and are condemning Jan 6 – aside from Vivek Ramaswamy

Wednesday 8 November 2023 20:30 , Gustaf Kilander

All but one of the Republican candidates appeared to have learned from former President Donald Trump’s deepening legal woes as they appeared for the first Republican primary debate in Milwaukee.

Former Vice President and 2024 candidate Mike Pence stood firmly behind his decision to certify President Joe Biden’s 2020 election victory despite mounting pressure from Mr Trump and his supporters, which included violent threats to his life.

Mr Pence was praised by the candidates next to him on the debate stage, apart from entrepreneur Vivek Ramaswamy, who came out swinging with conspiracy theories making the rounds on rightwing social media on a variety of topics.

Mr Ramaswamy instead called on Mr Pence to commit to pardoning Mr Trump.

“I’m the only candidate on the stage with the courage to move our nation forward,” Mr Ramaswamy argued.

READ MORE

Who are the moderators for the third Republican debate?

Wednesday 8 November 2023 20:00 , Gustaf Kilander

The third Republican primary debate will be moderated by two of the biggest names on NBC News and a conservative radio host with a past in the Reagan administration.

The next showdown is set to take place on 8 November at the Adrienne Arsht Center for the Performing Arts in Miami.

The moderators

The debate will be moderated by NBC Nightly News anchor Lester Holt, recently appointed Meet The Press moderator Kristen Welker and conservative radio host Hugh Hewitt.

READ MORE

When is the third Republican debate?

Wednesday 8 November 2023 19:30 , Gustaf Kilander

The third Republican primary debate will take place on 8 November, broadcast by NBC News at the Adrienne Arsht Center for the Performing Arts in Miami.

To qualify, candidates need to reach at least four per cent in two national polls, or four per cent in one national poll and four per cent in two early primary states.

They also need 70,000 individual donors, including 200 donors in 20 states, according to the requirements set by the Republican National Committee (RNC).

READ MORE

Haley ‘always had room to grow'

Wednesday 8 November 2023 19:00 , Kelly Rissman

Rob Godfrey, Nikki Haley’s former deputy chief of staff, recalled Ms Haley knocking on doors to talk to voters and meeting with small groups “at first as an unknown underdog statewide candidate” and watching her momentum grow. So this “is not a new dynamic for her,” he said.

Drawing parallels between the two campaigns, he said, “Right now it looks like there’s wind at her back.”

Gunner Ramer, the political director of the Republican Accountability Project, also discussed Ms Haley’s uptick in the polls. He said that unlike other candidates, like Mike Pence who had 100 per cent name recognition among voters, Nikki Haley “has always had room to grow.”

Her name and experience are especially favourable at a time when global turbulence is part of a daily conversation, some argued.

‘Wind at her back’

Wednesday 8 November 2023 18:30 , Kelly Rissman

Nikki Haley has long been an advocate for traditional conservative talking points. But it seems like now in particular, as Mr Trump’s base remains firm and the rest of the party searches for an alternative to the flamboyant, frequent defendant former president, her campaign is gaining traction.

She is wary of gun restrictions; while discussing red flag laws in the first GOP debate, she said she didn’t trust that the government “won’t take [guns] away from people who rightfully deserve to have them.”

She is pro-life, but has left space for pro-choice Americans to make the best decision for themselves; she said in April, “Different people in different places are taking different paths.”

Her viewpoints are arguably softer than some of her competitors, perhaps making her more appealing to some Republican voters, conservative strategist Chip Felkel said. “She’s taken a stern stance on some things, but she’s not constantly anti-everything,” he continued, comparing her to Mr Trump’s messaging.

Rob Godfrey, Ms Haley’s former deputy chief of staff as governor who remains neutral during the primaries, attributed her recent “momentum” to the “dynamic in early primary states.” He said races in these states — like Iowa, New Hampshire and South Carolina — “favour some of her best assets as a candidate, which is the ability to connect one-on-one with voters.”

Mr Godfrey attributed this skill to her experience. In her first run to become a South Carolina state representative in 2004, she defeated the then-longest-serving state Representative Larry Koon. She was elected twice more, serving as a state representative from 2005 through 2010, when she decided to throw her hat in the gubernatorial election.

Nikki Haley’s star is rising. But can she catch up to Trump?

Wednesday 8 November 2023 18:00 , Kelly Rissman

Nikki Haley is known for a lot of firsts — the first Asian American woman to serve as governor in US history, the first Indian American member of a presidential Cabinet, the first woman of colour to run for the GOP nomination — but will she become the first woman to serve as US president?

Few think so.

On paper, Ms Haley is arguably the ideal GOP candidate. She boasts impressive foreign policy experience amid the bloody conflict in Ukraine and the war between Israel and Hamas. She is the only woman in the race, giving her a sophisticated position to discuss reproductive rights as Republicans struggle to appeal to voters following the demise of Roe v Wade. Still, the 51-year-old can’t seem to catch up to Mr Trump. Ms Haley’s candidacy demonstrates a larger problem with the 2024 Republican race — no one can touch him.

READ MORE

Top DeSantis donor think Trump will win

Wednesday 8 November 2023 17:30 , Gustaf Kilander

The biggest donor to Florida Governor Ron DeSantis thinks former President Donald Trump will win the GOP primary.

Robert Bigelow told the Financial Times that Mr Trump “is too strong” and that the ex-president “has the momentum, the inertia, to beat him”.

Mr Bigelow called Mr Trump a “bull” while Mr DeSantis is “dinner”.

NBC co-hosting debate with rightwing media group

Wednesday 8 November 2023 17:00 , Gustaf Kilander

When hosting the debate, NBC News is working with the Salem Media Group, a conservative media group that one of its executives has said “bankrolled” a documentary about false 2020 election claims.

The group co-hosted four debates with CNN during the 2016 election. Since then, many of its top broadcasters on talk radio and podcasts have made increasingly aggressive and bizarre remarks about politicians and social issues, The Washington Post notes.

NBC now faces criticism for working with the group, despite that there may not have been an option not to do so if the network wished to host a GOP primary debate.

Salem was put forward to work with NBC on the debate by the Republican National Committee.

Conservative radio host Hugh Hewitt, a Salem broadcaster, will be one of the moderators, but an NBC spokesperson said the network will have full editorial control.

Brian Rosenwald wrote a 2019 book outlining the history of talk radio. He told The Post that “this is a major mistake for NBC”.

“I think it really undermines their journalistic credibility,” he added.

The Independent has reached out to NBC for comment.

‘I’ve never lost a race, I’m not going to start now,’ Haley says ahead debate

Wednesday 8 November 2023 16:30 , Gustaf Kilander

VIDEO: 5 Republicans face off in third GOP primary debate in Miami

Wednesday 8 November 2023 16:00 , Gustaf Kilander

Jimmy Kimmel mocks ‘non-viable’ GOP debate candidates with Avengers jab

Wednesday 8 November 2023 15:30 , Martha McHardy

Late-night host Jimmy Kimmel gave his review of five GOP presidential candidates he described as “non-viable” on Tuesday night, ahead of the third Republican primary debate.

The third GOP presidential debate is due to take place in Miami on Wednesday. So far, front-runner Donald Trump, who is currently embroiled in a civil fraud trial in New York, has not attended any of the primary debates.

The former president has indicated he sees no point in participating in the debates given his substantial lead over the other candidates in the polls.

He is not expected to attend the debate in Miami on Wednesday.

In his Tuesday night show, Mr Kimmel reviewed Mr Trump’s contenders, describing them as “non-viable”.

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Chris Christie blames Trump ‘poison’ for GOP election losses

Wednesday 8 November 2023 14:59 , Rachel Sharp

Former New Jersey governor and 2024 GOP hopeful Chris Christie has blamed Donald Trump’s “poison” for the Republican party’s disappointing results in the off-year elections.

Mr Christie, Mr Trump’s onetime staunch ally turned sworn nemesis, pointed out that the former president had endorsed Daniel Cameron in the Kentucky’s gubernatorial race – and that Mr Cameron then landed a major defeat in the red state.

“Cameron was a rising star in the Republican party until he decided to throw his lot in with Donald Trump,” he told CNN on Tuesday night.

“Let’s face it, Donald Trump is political and electoral poison down ballot.”

He added: “Any Republican who was overconfident about beating Joe Biden next year is a foolish Republican,” Christie said. “If he is the candidate for the Democratic Party, which it appears he will be, he will always be a difficult opponent.”

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Trump aims to upstage another GOP debate with Miami rally speech

Wednesday 8 November 2023 14:31 , Gustaf.Kilander

Donald Trump’s rally in Hialeah, Florida, will begin just an hour before the third Republican primary debate is set to take place in nearby Miami.

Supporters of the former president began queueing before dawn on Wednesday, more than 12 hours before Mr Trump was set to take the stage at around 7pm at the Ted Hendricks Stadium in Henry Milander Park.

Considering the average lengths of Mr Trump’s meandering campaign speeches, it’s possible he’s still talking as his rivals for the 2024 Republican presidential nomination take the stage at 8pm at the Arsht Center for the Performing Arts in Miami.

Parking and the lines to enter the rally venue were set to open at 8am with doors to the stadium opening up at 2pm and guest speakers beginning to appear on stage at about 6pm, CBS News notes.

Mr Trump has a massive lead over his competitors in the Republican primary, with Mr Trump having 56.5 per cent support in the average of national GOP primary polls as of 7 November put together by FiveThirtyEight.

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...and what have they said about the war in Ukraine?

Wednesday 8 November 2023 14:00 , Oliver O'Connell

As President Joe Biden likes to remind anyone who’ll listen, “This is not your grandfather’s Republican Party”.

One of the issues where that’s becoming more evident by the day is Ukraine.

John McCain, the late Arizona Senator and 2008 GOP presidential candidate, sounded the alarm about Russia for years, making him one of President Vladimir Putin’s “greatest antagonists,” the Arizona Republic noted in February 2022, days after the Russian invasion began.

During the last year of his presidency in 2008, George W Bush said he “strongly supported” eventual Nato membership for Ukraine and Georgia. Last year, in a viral gaffe, he mistakenly said Iraq when he meant to call the war in Ukraine “unjustified and brutal”.

His younger brother, Jeb Bush, a former Florida Governor, went to Europe in 2015 shortly before announcing his presidential campaign.

In a speech in Berlin about a year after Russia’s annexation of Crimea and support of separatists in eastern Ukraine, he said: “Russia must respect the sovereignty of all of its neighbours. And who can doubt that Russia will do what it pleases if aggression goes unanswered?”

Mr Bush was quickly bullied out of the 2016 primary by the man who would come to embody the modern Republican Party – reality TV star and real estate mogul Donald Trump.

Support for Ukraine is dividing the GOP field, with several saying the US should continue to support the war effort, while a number of others are following Mr Trump’s lead towards isolationism.

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Where do the GOP candidates stand on the Israel-Hamas conflict?

Wednesday 8 November 2023 13:20 , Oliver O'Connell

The third GOP debate is set to take place on Wednesday, 8 November in Miami and the stakes have been raised for qualifying candidates as they prepare to tackle major world issues like the recent Israel-Hamas conflict.

Since the war began in October, there have been debates regarding how the US should support Israel as an ally while airstrikes and other offensives disrupt millions of innocent Palestinians.

This time around, candidates will have more time to give thoughtful answers because there are few participants due to the Republican National Committee’s (RNC) stricter criteria.

So far, Florida governor Ron DeSantis, former South Carolina governor Nikki Haley, entrepreneur Vivek Ramaswamy and ex-New Jersey governor Chris Christie have all met the new criteria.

Former president Donald Trump has technically qualified however he refuses to sign a pledge supporting the eventual RNC candidate and opted out of participating in the debates.

Ahead of the next debate, here’s what the qualifying candidates have said about the Israel-Hamas conflict.

What the GOP debate candidates have said about the Israel-Hamas conflict

The Independent Debate: Should Trump abandon his 2024 run for president?

Wednesday 8 November 2023 12:20 , Oliver O'Connell

As Mr Trump’s legal battles grow more complex, many are wondering whether he will win the nomination and campaign for the election as a convicted criminal.

We want to know if you think the time is up for Trump. With the accusations surrounding the former president is it time he threw in the towel and sought a desk job away from the limelight and politics?

Or do you believe there’s still merit in bringing Mr Trump back to the White House?

Here’s how to have your say:

Tell us if Donald Trump should abandon his 2024 run for president

‘Walmart Melania’: Casey DeSantis gushes about her nickname

Wednesday 8 November 2023 11:20 , Oliver O'Connell

Florida Gov Ron DeSantis’ wife Casey DeSantis says she “loves” her nickname “Walmart Melania,” explaining that she appreciates being likened to the former first lady because she’s “gorgeous,” while the women’s husbands, Mr DeSantis and former President Trump, compete for the 2024 GOP nomination.

“You know it’s funny, these hits from the media. Some of them are so funny they are just laughable,” Ms DeSantis said to a crowd at the Florida Republican Party’s “Freedom Summit” in Kissimmee.

She recalled when her friend called to tell her the media was “hitting” her. Ms DeSantis told the crowd, “They’re ‘hitting’ me? Like what did I do? I’m just standing up for parents’ rights and the innocence of our children, those sorts of things, but they’re hitting me?”

That’s when her friend let her in on the press’s nickname for Florida’s First Lady: “Walmart Melania.”

Kelly Rissman has the story.

Casey DeSantis gushes about her ‘Walmart Melania’ nickname

Wednesday 8 November 2023 10:20 , Oliver O'Connell

Who qualified for the third Republican primary debate – and who didn’t

To counter the Maga movement, conservative lawyers are launching a new group

Wednesday 8 November 2023 09:20 , Oliver O'Connell

A group of preeminent conservative lawyers who opposed former president Donald Trump’s efforts to manipulate the legal system are launching a new, long-term project aimed at fostering respect for the US constitution and the rule of law in the legal profession.

The group, which initially began operating in 2018 under the name Checks and Balances, includes preeminent conservative legal figures such as J Michael Luttig, the former Fourth Circuit judge who was shortlisted as a Supreme Court pick during the George W Bush administration, and George Conway, who was former president Donald Trump’s pick to run the Justice Department civil division before he became a prominent critic of the ex-president.

Unlike other groups formed by anti-Trump conservatives during Mr Trump’s presidency, the Checks and Balances group has been a bit of a shoestring operation, until now operating with a small budget raised from its’ members.

But a source familiar with the group’s plans told The Independent that a decision was made by the group’s board to seek outside funding for the purposes of a major relaunch and rebranding operation as the “Society for the Rule of Law,” which has now acquired the proper licenses to operate as a 501(c)(3) nonprofit with an affiliated 501(c)(4) “social welfare” organisation that can undertake some political work. The society’s roll-out will include a “Rule of Law summit” taking place on Wednesday evening in Washington.

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Who did NBC choose to moderate the debate?

Wednesday 8 November 2023 07:20 , Oliver O'Connell

The third Republican primary debate will be moderated by two of the biggest names on NBC News and a conservative radio host with a past in the Reagan administration.

The next showdown is set to take place on 8 November at the Adrienne Arsht Center for the Performing Arts in Miami.

Here’s what you need to know about the ringmasters to this latest political circus:

Who are the moderators for the third Republican debate?

What question about abortion is throwing GOP candidates off balance?

Wednesday 8 November 2023 05:20 , Oliver O'Connell

The 2024 Republican candidates for president have an abortion problem.

At every campaign stop, town hall, debate and interview the elephant in the room manages to creep its way into the dialogue – how should a potential president approach the legality of abortion at the federal level, if at all?

For decades, the ideal GOP candidate would state their pro-life stance and disagree with the landmark Supreme Court case Roe v Wade to earn a gold star and potential endorsements.

But since the fall of Roe last year, the issue of abortion has become increasingly complicated and voters have made it clear they’re looking for a candidate who can take a nuanced approach to the subject.

Across the board, polling shows that most Americans believe abortion should be legal in most or all cases in the first trimester, regardless of party lines. Simultaneously, the same majority of voters also believe abortions should be illegal in the third trimester.

Yet, when candidates are confronted with the issue, many display an obvious struggle to remain loyal to the Republican party’s long-held belief while extending a compromising hand to the rest of the country.

Republican candidates walking the abortion line can’t dodge this one question

Learning from Trump’s legal woes, the Republican candidates are condemning Jan 6 – with one exception...

Wednesday 8 November 2023 03:20 , Oliver O'Connell

All but one of the Republican candidates appeared to have learned from former President Donald Trump’s deepening legal woes as they appeared for the first Republican primary debate in Milwaukee.

Former Vice President and 2024 candidate Mike Pence stood firmly behind his decision to certify President Joe Biden’s 2020 election victory despite mounting pressure from Mr Trump and his supporters, which included violent threats to his life.

Mr Pence was praised by the candidates next to him on the debate stage, apart from entrepreneur Vivek Ramaswamy, who came out swinging with conspiracy theories making the rounds on rightwing social media on a variety of topics.

Gustaf Kilander reports:

Republican candidates are condemning Jan 6 – aside from Vivek Ramaswamy

Wednesday 8 November 2023 02:58 , Oliver O'Connell

What have Republican presidential hopefuls said about the war in Ukraine?

Wednesday 8 November 2023 01:20 , Oliver O'Connell

As President Joe Biden likes to remind anyone who’ll listen, “This is not your grandfather’s Republican Party”.

One of the issues where that’s becoming more evident by the day is Ukraine.

John McCain, the late Arizona Senator and 2008 GOP presidential candidate, sounded the alarm about Russia for years, making him one of President Vladimir Putin’s “greatest antagonists,” the Arizona Republic noted in February 2022, days after the Russian invasion began.

During the last year of his presidency in 2008, George W Bush said he “strongly supported” eventual Nato membership for Ukraine and Georgia. Last year, in a viral gaffe, he mistakenly said Iraq when he meant to call the war in Ukraine “unjustified and brutal”.

His younger brother, Jeb Bush, a former Florida Governor, went to Europe in 2015 shortly before announcing his presidential campaign.

In a speech in Berlin about a year after Russia’s annexation of Crimea and support of separatists in eastern Ukraine, he said: “Russia must respect the sovereignty of all of its neighbours. And who can doubt that Russia will do what it pleases if aggression goes unanswered?”

Mr Bush was quickly bullied out of the 2016 primary by the man who would come to embody the modern Republican Party – reality TV star and real estate mogul Donald Trump.

Support for Ukraine is dividing the GOP field, with several saying the US should continue to support the war effort, while a number of others are following Mr Trump’s lead towards isolationism.

Read more...

Where do the candidates stand on abortion right?

Tuesday 7 November 2023 23:20 , Oliver O'Connell

The issue of abortion rights in the United States is staring the 2024 GOP presidential candidates in their eyes as they prepare to kick their campaigns into high gear.

Since the Supreme Court overturned the landmark case Roe v Wade (1973) last summer, abortion has become a top concern for many voters.

Though the anti-abortion stance has long been associated with the Republican Party, approximately 61 per cent of adults in the US believe abortion should be legal in all or most cases, according to Pew Research Center – that statistic includes Republican and Democratic voters.

As Americans look toward their next Republican presidential nominee, no doubt many will be considering where the candidate stands on abortion when determining who they support.

Here is what each GOP presidential candidate has said on the issue.

Where the GOP presidential candidates stand on abortion rights

Meet the candidates running for president in 2024

Tuesday 7 November 2023 22:20 , Oliver O'Connell

With less than two years remaining until US voters will decide who will serve as president of the United States from January 2025 to January 2029, former Republican government officials are starting to jockey for position in the coming fight for the 2024 GOP presidential nomination, while at least two Democrats challenge President Joe Biden in a Democratic primary.

As the campaign takes shape, here are the names you need to know.

2024 presidential candidates: Who are the candidates?

Welcome to our Republican debate live blog

Tuesday 7 November 2023 22:11 , Oliver O'Connell

Welcome to The Independent’s live blog of the third Republican primary debate of the 2024 election season.

We’ll be counting down to the main event tomorrow night furnishing you with all the background information you need to know before the candidates take to the stage in Miami.