https://www.npr.org/2023/09/28/ [login to see] /second-republican-debate-trump-desantis-haley-ramaswamy
Primary debates are about winnowing down the field of candidates to land on the eventual nominee for a major party. That winnowing process continued at the Ronald Reagan Presidential Library in Simi Valley, Calif., where seven Republicans showed up ready to fight.
Attacking Biden, Trump and each other
Just seven candidates took part in this debate, down from eight last month in Milwaukee, after former Arkansas Gov. Asa Hutchinson failed to qualify this time. There are less than four months to go before the first nominating contest in Iowa on Jan. 15, and those months will be crucial in determining whether anyone has a chance of taking on the front-runner, former President Donald Trump. Trump skipped this debate, as well as the first one.