GOP debate recap: Who won and who lost in second Republican showdown

On the same day Alabama Black voters scored a victory in the U.S. Supreme Court, a federal trial opened in Florida in which lawyers say Republican Gov. Ron DeSantis violated the U.S. Constitution by deliberately dismantling a congressional district that favored Black candidates.

It’s one of several lawsuits around the country that are challenging Republican-drawn maps they say are gerrymandered to diminish the ability of Black voters to select a candidate of their choice. If successful, the lawsuits could help Democrats as they try to regain control of the House.

The focus in Florida is a district that stretched more than 200 miles to connect Black voters in Jacksonville and in the majority Black county of Gadsden about 200 miles (322 kilometers) to the west. DeSantis vetoed maps the Legislature drew, which would have preserved a Black district, and forced the Legislature to approve one his staff drew.

“The governor pushed and pushed and pushed,” said attorney Greg Baker. “He pressed his argument by sound bite bullying.”

The result was a map that helped Republicans earn a majority in the House and left Black voters in north Florida with only white representation in Washington. That area stretches about 360 miles (579 kilometers) from the Alabama border to the Atlantic Ocean and south from the Georgia border to Orlando in central Florida.

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The second Republican presidential debate is drawing near with a smaller onstage lineup than the first event last month.

Here’s all of the information on how to watch:

TUNING IN

The two-hour debate will start at 9 p.m. ET on Wednesday. It’s being moderated by Fox Business Network host Stuart Varney and Fox News Channel host Dana Perino, as well as Univision anchor Ilia Calderón.

The event will air on Fox News Channel and Fox Business, as well as on the network’s website and other streaming and digital platforms. There’s also a Spanish-language feed airing on Univision.

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Former White House aide Cassidy Hutchinson excoriated Donald Trump in an interview and urged members of her own party to consider that a second term in office for the ex-president could be a threat to the future of US democracy.

Ms Hutchinson was speaking with MSNBC’s Rachel Maddow, and asked her fellow Republicans to consider the seriousness of the matter, pointing to Mr Trump’s attempts to overturn the 2020 election even after his legal challenges had all failed in the courts.

“Do we want people who have already shown that they are willing and want to overthrow an election for a duly elected president, which is the pinnacle of our democracy – do we want to put people like that back in power?” she asked.

Ms Hutchinson also touched on the criminal case against Mr Trump for mishandling classified US defence documents, arguing that it was another disqualifying factor against the former president.

“Do we want to put people back in power that have mishandled, and have been showed to have mishandled, the most sensitive national security secrets that our nation has?” Ms Hutchinson continued.

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Ron DeSantis has refused to throw in the towel on his campaign to be the Republican pick for the next election, despite being given a sober look at the current polling numbers.

The governor of Florida was informed by Laura Ingraham on the right-wing Fox News network that he faces a 37-point deficit to Donald Trump in one early primary state.

On her show, Ms Ingraham said: “Now, governor, the latest CBS poll out of New Hampshire shows that you’re in second, albeit a distant second behind Trump ... You’re at 13 per cent, he’s at 50 per cent.”

Despite the charges against him and his loss in the 2020 vote, Mr Trump is the heavy favourite to be the GOP nominee, but Mr DeSantis says he has not given up hope.

Appearing on Tuesday’s edition of The Ingraham Angle, Mr DeSantis appeared bullish about his chances.

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A New York judge has determined that Donald Trump committed fraud by falsely inflating his wealth and assets by billions of dollars, a partial conclusion to a sweeping lawsuit and a years-long investigation from the state’s attorney general taking aim at the former president’s business empire.

The ruling from Judge Arthur F Engoron on 26 September found that the former president, his two adult sons, his companies and chief associates defrauded banks and insurers by grossly overvaluing assets and exaggerating his net worth on documents to secure deals and financing.

Judge Engoron has ordered several of the former president’s licences to be rescinded, effectively upending his abilities to do business in the state. An independent monitor also will continue to oversee compliance with the order and Mr Trump’s operations and liabilities to lenders, insurers and others.

The decision follows a $250m civil suit from New York Attorney General Letitia James, whose investigation targeted long-running fraud allegations surrounding Mr Trump’s business practices.

A decision arrived days before the start of a non-jury trial, but the partial judgment – a major victory for Ms James and state investigators – resolves key claims in the lawsuit, which the former president’s legal team has repeatedly tried to dismiss. Mr Trump, meanwhile, has tried to sue the judge to block the trial from moving forward. A state appeals court is expected to rule on his case this week.

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Former House Speaker Paul Ryan said Tuesday that Republicans will lose the presidential election if Donald Trump is the nominee and that he expects hard-right followers of Trump to force a government shutdown within days.

Ryan, who left office in 2019 and had a sometimes contentious relationship with Trump, said he hoped that another Republican nominee would gain enough momentum early next year to overtake Trump after the first primaries. Ryan represented southeastern Wisconsin in Congress for 20 years, the last four as speaker.

“The party that puts the first fresh face forward wins this election,” Ryan said at an event on the University of Wisconsin campus organized by the Robert M. La Follette School of Public Affairs.

If the race is between Trump and President Joe Biden, Ryan said, “I think Biden wins.”

“I think leaders should endeavor to be honest, ethical, moral people who try to set standards for themselves and lead by example across the country,” Ryan said. “Donald Trump doesn’t try to do any of that. He does the opposite, frankly. So I just don’t think he’s fit for the job here.”

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Tim Scott, the South Carolina senator running for president in 2024, posted a photo of himself and his nephew on X hours before the second GOP debate.

“Blessed to have my nephew Ben here with me in California for the debate!” Mr Scott wrote.

He added: “Having my family by my side means the world.”

An online sportsbook centre has predicted several outcomes of the second GOP debate tonight, one of which shows Vivek Ramaswamy having a slight edge over Ron DeSantis in taking home the winning title.

Bovada, a crypto-friendly sportsbooking website, predicted that Mr Ramaswamy has the likeliest chance of “winning” the debate with a +175 odds.

During the first debate, Mr Ramaswamy was repeatedly criticised by his opponents who teamed-up to point out Mr Ramaswamy’s lack of experience and ideas.

But still, Bovada believes he will emerge stronger than the rest.

The numbers show the tech entrepreneur having a slight edge over Mr DeSantis, the governor of Florida, who is currently at +200 odds tied with former UN ambassador Nikki Haley.

Far behind the three is former vice president Mike Pence at +1200, South Carolina senator Tim Scott at +1500 and ex-New Jersey governor Chris Christie at +2000.

Doug Burgum, the governor of North Dakota, was not mentioned in the lineup as he qualified late for the second debate.

US voters are preparing to endure another Republican debate tonight as seven candidates take to the stage for the second official GOP primary debate.

No doubt tonight’s showdown featuring Mike Pence, Ron DeSantis, Nikki Haley, Tim Scott, Doug Burgum, Chris Christie and Vivek Ramaswamy will produce some memorable insults and eye-rolling arguments – even if former president Donald Trump isn’t present (again).

If you’re a Democrat, you’ll likely be horrified by what you see on stage tonight. If you’re a Republican, you’ll either be scoffing at the also-rans taking pot-shots at each other in Milwaukee or you’ll possibly be despairing as your favourite candidate fails to get traction in the crowded field.

Election season can be a foreboding proposition given that you may suddenly realise during it that we’re all on this runaway train now until 20 January 2025 when someone will be sworn in as president.

But never fear, as has become a tradition with such political minefield events, there are always the inevitable drinking games to fall back on and take the edge off the evening.

Here are some drinking prompt highlights from the first debate culled from the conservative press.

Oliver O’Connell reports:

Only seven GOP candidates will appear on stage tonight because Asa Hutchinson did not make the cut and Donald Trump is skipping out.

Former Arkansas governor Asa Hutchinson did not meet the Republican National Committee’s (RNC) tough qualifications to join his political opponents on the debate stage in California tonight.

This time around the RNC is requiring candidates to have at least 50,000 unique donors with at least 200 from 20 states or territories – an increase from the 40,000 unique donors requirement to participate in the first debate.

Candidates also must receive at least 3 per cent support in two national polls or 3 per cent support in one national poll and two polls of early voting states New Hampshire, Iowa, Nevada and South Carolina.

Mr Hutchinson did not meet the polling requirements.

In a statement, posted on X, Mr Hutchinson said despite “falling short” he plans to continue his campaign “to bring out the best of America” by scheduling events in several early-voting states.

“I understand that the RNC and the media are trying to reduce the number of candidates, but I measure success based on the response I receive in early primary states like Iowa and New Hampshire,” Mr Hutchinson said.

The former governor said he has set a goal to increase polling to 4 per cent in early voting states before Thanksgiving. So long as Mr Hucthinson meets that goal, he will remain in the race.