The second Republican presidential primary debate, held at the Ronald Reagan Presidential Library in Simi Valley, Calif., covered policy issues like immigration, nuclear deals and women’s health — and it was not without its personal attacks.
“We don’t need an apprentice in the White House,” Wisconsin Gov. Scott Walker said in reference to Trump.
Before the debate, Jason Husser, a professor of political science at Elon University, said while policy issues were likely to be discussed more this time, a lot of eyes would still be on Trump and how he and the other candidates would interact.
“Trump needs to be able to show that he has policy grounds to work from, that it’s not just about smoke,” Husser said.
D. Sunshine Hillygus, a professor of political science at Duke University, said the candidates’ main goal for the debate would be to establish and differentiate themselves from the others.
“They’re all looking for the one-liner that can be easily quotable,” Hillygus said.
She said since it’s primary season, voters are going to be more fluid in their preferences than they are in the general election. She said the debate actually does matter because it allows voters to decide who would represent them best, and who could succeed in the general election.
“The type of information that matters in the primary is very different from what matters in the general election because the primary voters are again trying to make some determination about electability and viability,” Hillygus said.
