Republican debate highlights: Candidates battle over Trump in bid to break through to voters

See the rundown of candidate attacks with the NBC News debate attack tracker.

NBC News is watching the debate at Aase Haugen, a Christian retirement community in Decorah, Iowa, with seven caucusgoers.

Eleanor Jirak, 92, voted for Hillary Clinton in 2016 and Biden in 2020 but disagrees with the president on abortion and is undecided about whom she’s supporting in 2024. 

She describes herself as "pro-life" and says she has been impressed by Pence’s stance tonight.

"Abortion is bad, because God doesn’t make junk," she says.

NBC News is watching the debate at New England College with eight college students who vote in New Hampshire.

“I liked what Chris Christie said: ‘If you’re going to be pro-life, you need to be pro-life for the entire life,’” said Hannah Peterson, 21, an independent New Hampshire voter who attends Saint Anselm College.

“I think in the pro-life discussion, many politicians don’t discuss how they are going to provide for families beyond pregnancies," she continued. "If abortion bans are being enforced, we need to make sure that families are getting the care and support that they need to provide for these children. Candidates don’t ever consider the lives of the mothers involved in the pregnancies."

Peterson pointed out that the male candidates were the ones discussing abortion policy, "which disproportionately affects women. The well-being of women should be prioritized, first and foremost, and all life — especially the mother’s — should be considered when discussing these complicated policies.”

The Biden campaign is seeking to highlight the brief exchange about abortion near the end of the debate.

Campaign spokesperson Kevin Munoz called out Republican candidates’ supporting an abortion ban “as early as six weeks.”

“Since Roe was overturned, Americans have rejected MAGA Republicans’ anti-abortion extremism — and they’ll do it again in 2024,” Munoz said in a statement.

A Republican not affiliated with any of the candidates says: "Worst debate perhaps of all time."

Trump senior adviser Chris LaCivita is calling for the RNC to cancel future primary debates.

"Tonight’s GOP debate was as boring and inconsequential as the first debate, and nothing that was said will change the dynamics of the primary contest being dominated by President Trump," LaCivita posted on X, formerly Twitter. "The RNC should immediately put an end to any further primary debates so we can train our fire on Crooked Joe Biden and quit wasting time and money that could be going to evicting Biden from the White House."

Closing statements are almost always useless, and the Fox Business moderators were probably wise to avoid them.

The debate is over — but stick around for some responses from the spin room and the voters NBC News has been watching the debate with.

NBC News is watching the debate at New England College with eight college students who vote in New Hampshire

Nathan Shrader, an associate professor of politics at New England College, summed up the debate in one sentence: “I think Trump is winning.”

The candidates’ refusing to vote someone “off the island” is actually pretty notable given the state of the primary campaign. The field will need to consolidate, and fast, if any of these candidates have a chance to overtake Trump. But so far, everyone’s hesitant to even suggest someone should be the next to go.

Asked to write down which candidate should be booted first, Christie started eagerly writing, and DeSantis said that would be mean.

No Gavin Newsom name checks from DeSantis tonight — even while in California. The two ideologically opposed governors have solidified their plans to debate each other on Fox News in November.

If you're confused about the back and forth between Haley and Scott over curtains, here's some background.

On Curtainsgate: A New York Times story about the State Department curtains from 2018 includes an editor's note that says “An earlier version of this article and headline created an unfair impression about who was responsible for the purchase in question. While Nikki R. Haley is the current ambassador to the United Nations, the decision on leasing the ambassador’s residence and purchasing the curtains was made during the Obama administration, according to current and former officials. The article should not have focused on Ms. Haley, nor should a picture of her have been used."

While it’s notable — and even, yes, a little entertaining — to watch all these candidates go after one another, it’s important to remember that none of them are leading by 20-plus points.

NBC News is watching the debate at New England College with eight college students who vote in New Hampshire.

“Despite what candidates are saying, Trump risks more by showing up than by staying out of the debates. If it turns out that he needs to show up or he will be overtaken, then he will, but for now, it is in his best interest to remain out of the spotlight,” said Zaccary Lacasse, 20, a Republican student at New England College.

This is the maddest I've ever heard anyone talk about curtains.

This is a fight Haley’s been spoiling for. “Bring it, Tim,” only emphasizes that.

NBC News is watching the debate at New England College with eight college students who vote in New Hampshire.

“It’s nice to see Ron DeSantis finally jumping into the fray to promote his record. Every time I’m ready to jump ship on DeSantis, he reminds me why I still support him — he’s the only candidate on the stage who’s delivered conservative wins again and again,” said Jack Coleman, 20, a Republican voter in New Hampshire and a student at Dartmouth College.

This is how Christie used to talk about abortion when he was governor of a blue state, emphasizing that one has to be "pro-life" for the whole life. It resonated in New Jersey at the time.

And it also gave him a viral moment in 2015 when his presidential campaign needed an extra boost.

NBC News is watching the debate at New England College with eight college students who vote in New Hampshire.

Ky Urban, 21, a Republican voter who is a student at Southern New Hampshire University, believes Haley is right when she talks about how Scott and his colleagues in the Senate “had more than 12 years to address some of our issues.”

“Not once have the current senators [done] enough to deliver on proper solutions to fix the issues,” Urban said.

DeSantis again goes out of his way to take aim at Trump, this time on abortion.

“The former president, he’s missing in action tonight. He should be here explaining his comments. I want him to look into the eyes and tell people who were fighting this fight for a long time.”

DeSantis world has been hammering Trump hard on the answer he gave about abortion in his interview on "Meet the Press." He clearly has been waiting for this moment to take the issue to him on the debate stage. Trump is not there to fight back (another point the DeSantis campaign has been hammering).

One of the last issues raised tonight is abortion, and it is one issue over which Americans broadly disagree with Republicans — including some of those on the stage.

Our latest NBC News national poll found that only 28% of registered voters think Republicans are better at dealing with abortion than Democrats. A plurality — 46% — say Democrats are better.

Exit polling from the midterms contradicts DeSantis’ claims here — abortion was a leading cause of midterm losses for Republicans.

Haley said we should end normal trade relations with China until it stops the flow of fentanyl and chides Trump over policies she said failed to combat intellectual property theft, a spy base in Cuba, farmland purchases and more.

“This is where President Trump went wrong,” Haley says. “He focused on trade with China.”

Multiple moments here for Haley, Scott and DeSantis, but as we round the corner to the end of this debate, Pence still hasn’t really had one (other than a couple of lines that didn’t quite land).

Near the end of the debate and finally an abortion question.

“12 years, where have you been, Tim?” Haley asks Scott.

As Haley criticizes his time in the Senate, it’s worth remembering it was Haley who appointed Scott to the Senate in 2012 when she was governor of South Carolina.

NBC News is watching the debate at New England College with eight college students who vote in New Hampshire.

“I’m tired of these candidates talking about increasing American energy by fracking oil. Using up our oil reserves is not the answer for long-term development. We’ve started green measures, and we need to continue these energy projects before our situation becomes too desperate. Not only are these green energy measures important for addressing climate change, but they are helping preserve our depreciating resources. None of these candidates understand that we can’t rely on oil for our future,” said Hannah Peterson, 21, an independent New Hampshire voter who attends Saint Anselm College.

And the winner of the standout moment of the Haley vs. Scott fight? DeSantis, who snags the microphone to deliver a soliloquy about his record while Haley and Scott just look on.

(Thus disrupting a brawl the campaign universe has been waiting for for months.)

Haley seems to have a low opinion of Ramaswamy, but the two were on better terms recently.

She blurbed his last book, “Woke, Inc.,” which came out in 2021, saying “his combination of honesty, intellect, and foresight are exactly what we need to overcome our challenges in the years ahead,” as a New York Times book critic noted.

A source close to DeSantis world recently mused that his landslide 2022 win was in part because some of his first-term policies — like his strong record on environmental conservation — brought Democrats and independents into the fold. His current slip in the polls, this source argues, is because he has moved too far to the right.

It’s interesting he tried to distance himself from his environmental policies in that exchange with Haley about fracking.

Tensions have long simmered between the camps of Scott and Haley, both South Carolina natives. This question tees up those tensions to flare in public, though Scott doesn’t seem to be the one to take the first swing. Moments later, Haley takes a shot.

Scott's going for a balanced budget amendment, one of the key planks of John Kasich’s 2016 campaign. And, well, that didn’t go all that well…

NBC News is watching the debate at New England College with eight college students who vote in New Hampshire.

“I have great respect for Mike Pence, and Ronald Reagan’s legacy is one that absolutely must continue to influence the GOP, but his answers are remarkably out of touch with my generation. He can’t choose whether to make a joke, and he doesn’t seem to know what TikTok is. He sounds like he’s on the 2008 debate stage, and I think my generation sees that,” said Jack Coleman, 20, a Republican voter in New Hampshire and a student at Dartmouth College.

Haley was introduced tonight as the former governor of South Carolina, skipping her more recent/higher title of U.N. ambassador. We asked the campaign this morning which one she prefers; it dodged a direct answer but settled on “‘governor’ is always great.” It appears to be leaning more into her domestic leadership title even as she touts her foreign policy experience repeatedly tonight.

On the trail, she usually just skips it and says, “Just call me Nikki.”

NBC News is watching the debate at New England College with eight college students who vote in New Hampshire.

Michael Toronto, 19, an independent voter, said that if the New Hampshire primary were held today, he would vote for Haley.

“Nikki Haley seems to be the only one answering questions, and she is doing so very well,” he said.

Before the debate started, Toronto’s top candidates were DeSantis and Pence.

Moments of tons of overtalk like these are why multiple campaign aides have called the debate tonight a “hot mess.”

NBC News is watching the debate at Aase Haugen, a Christian retirement community in Decorah, Iowa, with seven caucusgoers.

“He achieved, not we achieved!” Kent Shuchmann, a two-time Trump supporter, yelled at the screen, accusing Pence of taking credit for Trump’s accomplishments.

Burgum tries to interject “as the only person who’s leading an energy state” on the question about energy — one of his top three campaign issues. He is denied.

Among the many other rapid response notes released during tonight’s debate, it's notable that the DeSantis campaign is still digging in on his defense of Florida’s Black history curriculum, especially given his back-and-forth with Scott. 

In an email blast, his campaign said, "Tim Scott is again promoting Kamala Harris’ lie about Florida’s African American history standards in a weak effort to score political points. "

NBC News is watching the debate at Aase Haugen, a Christian retirement community in Decorah, Iowa, with seven Iowa caucusgoers.

Edmond Mertzenich, 89, is the first to fall asleep at the retirement home debate watch party. Mertzenich, a Trump supporter through and through, says he wouldn’t have fallen asleep if his favorite candidate was on the stage tonight.

“He would’ve been energetic. He would crush them all,” Mertzenich said.

It's worth noting that 90 minutes in, none of the former president’s indictments have come up — I think the only mention was a passing one by Christie earlier on.

DeSantis has also been pushed on his comments that he would send U.S. special forces into Mexico but has so far stood by them despite the diplomatic problems that action would create.

He has also said that Mexican President Andrés Manuel López Obrador is “partially responsible for the carnage that we see in our country. He’s done nothing to stop the flow of people and drugs, and the Mexican cartels run wild in his own country. So he should be coming to us welcoming.”

Pence didn’t quite deliver Ronald Reagan’s famous line about the youth and inexperience of his competitors, but he channeled it. He said it was time for those with the experience and conservative credentials “that Ronald Reagan brought forward in this party” to take control.

NBC News is watching the debate at New England College with eight college students who vote in New Hampshire.

“I wish the debate had focused longer on education — Ukraine is important, but education is not only vital for our future, it’s a winning issue for the GOP (look at DeSantis and Youngkin). The answers involved cringey comments about sleeping with teachers and not enough substance — it was a missed opportunity all around,” said Jack Coleman, 20, a Republican voter in New Hampshire and a student at Dartmouth College.

Pence really leaning into the fact that he’s as close to being the top executive of this country as anyone else — besides a president — has ever been. He wants voters to remember he is VICE President Mike Pence.

It’s natural for Haley to highlight her foreign policy prowess given her résumé, but by proving her qualifications in this “commander in chief” metric it also allows her to clear a key viability test in the minds of GOP voters. That’s a taller order for women, but one Haley is actively working to topple and clear.

Garrett Haake observes that it is more effective than the response that came next from Scott: "More effective than bragging about things you pass 23-0 in subcommittee."

NBC News is watching the debate at New England College with eight college students who vote in New Hampshire.

Ky Urban, 21, a Republican voter who is a student at Southern New Hampshire University, says Ramaswamy is “a far-right radicalist and would end up making America go to authoritarian populism then conservative constitution liberalism.”

“Vivek clearly doesn’t understand that banning technology/social media under 18 is realistically impossible, as now the youth generation he’s claiming to reach out to are the first digital natives, and the next generation born in 2024 will be digital natives,” he said.

Elon Musk is tweeting about Ramaswamy; Ramaswamy said he wanted Musk as an adviser at an event in Iowa in August.

Burgum is echoing Ramaswamy’s “bad climate policies” talking point from the first debate — saying the climate change agenda is more dangerous than climate change itself.

Haley's response that “a win for Russia is a win for China” is a common answer on the trail — by her reasoning, you should “listen to dictators because they are transparent.” China is watching Ukraine as it plots its potential move on Taiwan.

NBC News is watching the debate at New England College with eight college students who vote in New Hampshire.

“Tim Scott has had very few moments during tonight’s debate, but he just offered one of the first genuine answers on exactly why defending Ukraine is vital for American interests specifically,” said Jack Coleman, 20, a Republican voter in New Hampshire and a student at Dartmouth College.

Visible eyeroll from Haley at Ramaswamy. Roll the gif.

NBC News is watching the debate at New England College with eight college students who vote in New Hampshire.

“Vivek knows exactly what to say to reach young voters, acknowledging the dangers of social media while using it to his advantage. The personal attacks against him make the other candidates look childish,” said Zaccary Lacasse, 20, a Republican student at New England College.

Scott’s defense of U.S. support for Ukraine could have come straight from a Mitch McConnell floor speech. Scott is fully in line with the majority Senate GOP position on Ukraine and Russia, in contrast with the House GOP (and DeSantis and Trump) skepticism.

I'm laughing at how respectfully Scott and Ramaswamy just tried to interrupt each other.

Democratic operative texts: “I also feel dumber watching this debate.”

Now we’re on a subject people on stage actually disagree on — Ukraine, and foreign policy more broadly.

Last debate, Ramaswamy is mocking Pence for “Morning in America” and this debate he’s praising Reagan’s 11th commandment.

Last debate, he was fighting everyone. This debate, he’s not even hitting back when Haley backs up a dump truck on him.

"Every time I hear you I feel a little bit dumber,” Nikki Haley roasts Vivek Ramaswamy and there seems to be some anger behind it.

There were audible gasps in the media room.

Doug Burgum has been a serial interruptor during this debate — potentially because he knows he’s on the bubble and wants to hold his debate slot for the next one. At one point, a moderator threatened to cut his mic.

NBC News is watching the debate at New England College, with eight college students who vote in New Hampshire.

“Glad DeSantis is discussing the issues of the monopoly of the tech industries and the threat Communist China is providing when we don’t deal with the monopolies of the new industries,” Ky Urban, 21, a Republican voter who is a student at Southern New Hampshire University, told NBC News.

Ramaswamy is saying he wants to reach the next generation but he wants to raise the voting age to 25.

Ramaswamy says, "I’ll hire the best people" — sounds like Trump.

NBC News is watching the debate at New England College, with eight college students who vote in New Hampshire.

“I’m really disappointed about the conversation with education,” Hannah Peterson, 21, an undeclared New Hampshire voter who attends Saint Anselm College, told NBC News.

“Responses were focused on parents, but don’t discuss how to support the efforts teachers — who are the trained professionals -- in the classroom. Candidates focused on parents being able to choose schools for their children, but never actually discussed what’s best for the child and their well being.” 

In recent months Pence has been playing the game like he has nothing to lose. It’s resulted in moments that have been pretty surprising — like this “sleeping with a teacher” line. He’s overall been much looser than he has been in the past.

His campaign has been following suit with sassy swag like the “too honest” T-shirts in the wake of the notes released in the Jan. 6 indictment against Trump.

It’s a very new brand from Pence that doesn’t always suit him — though sometimes creates some moments.

Pence draws a lot of "yikes" with his joke about having slept with a teacher for years (his wife):

"Oh, my."

"Wow. Mike Pence. No."

"Of all the candidates, that’s the candidate I least expected a joke like that to come from!"

"So cringe."

Pence’s point about children getting gender surgery is also misleading — American Academy of Pediatrics guidelines say operations are typically performed only on adults.

NBC News is watching the debate at New England College with eight college students who vote in New Hampshire.

In a quick straw poll of the students at the table, all of them say they are impressed with Haley’s performance so far.

“I was a huge DeSantis guy coming out of the midterms, but the way he’s run his candidacy, he’s just— he’s too afraid to go after Trump. He’s not answering many questions. And the fact that Nikki Haley is answering questions and is doing so eloquently I think is the reason why so many people seem to like her,” said Michael Toronto, 19, an undeclared voter in New Hampshire.

It's somewhat surprising that DeSantis isn’t jumping in to tout parental rights in schools/parental notification, given that the framework in other states is largely modeled after legislation in Florida.

Burgum does not bring up social issues like parental choice on the campaign trail, despite having signed multiple bills restricting transgender students’ rights in North Dakota. He is maintaining that it is a state issue.

In responding to Christie’s attacks, Team Trump is posting multiple unflattering pictures appearing to fat-shame him.

Did I hear that last Christie dig at Biden correctly? Christie said Biden is "sleeping" with a member of the teachers union. That is, of course, a reference to Biden’s wife — first lady Jill Biden — who is a teacher.

Ramaswamy’s stance on gender-affirming care flies in the face of medical experts: Children who received puberty blockers/hormone therapy had 60% lower odds of moderate or severe depression and 73% lower odds of suicidality, according to a study from the American Medical Association. The AMA calls gender-affirming care medically necessary and evidence-based.

NBC News is watching the debate with a group of conservative voters at a home in Waukesha, Wisconsin.

Some of the folks at this debate watch are less interested in jabs at Biden since they already know they won’t be supporting him and are trying to sort out differences among these candidates.

DeSantis’ proposal to send the U.S. military to take on Mexican drug cartels got some applause. “Yeah! I like his bold action,” one woman here said.

Christie lost support from our Trump fans here with his “Donald Duck” quip.

There’s a desire to hear more details and specific solutions. It’s almost a feeling of being burned by past campaign promises and wanting to know how the promises will be delivered on.

There’s widespread agreement that everyone wants to hear more from Burgum, while also recognizing his campaign is a long shot.

Scott speaks passionately about the question of how to teach about slavery, whereas DeSantis speaks from a place of defense.

DeSantis has only ever dug deeper into his defense of Florida’s Black history curriculum.

When he was first criticized by Scott, he told reporters after a campaign stop in Albia, Iowa: “You know, part of the reason I think our country has struggled is because D.C. Republicans all too often accept false narratives, accept lies that are perpetrated by the left and to accept the lie that Kamala Harris has been perpetrating even when that has been debunked.”

This is the most comfortable I’ve seen Scott on a debate stage yet. It feels like when he really revs it up on the stump.

DeSantis is (still) mispronouncing "Kamala."

Interesting that Scott tried to tie DeSantis and Vice President Kamala Harris together there, considering how vilified she is on the right.

Compared to the first 55 minutes of the first GOP debate, there have been nearly twice as many attacks on Biden so far.

Scott leads all candidates with five attacks on Biden. Follow along with the NBC News attack tracker.

Haley is leaning more toward the phrasing of “parental involvement,” a slight departure from how conservatives (following DeSantis' Florida moves) have been advocating for “parental rights” as they push their way onto local school boards. It's a movement we’ve seen play out here in Southern California that hass resulted in somewhat violent protests at board meetings (Glendale, Temecula, Chino Hills).

NBC News is watching the debate at New England College with eight college students who vote in New Hampshire.

“I appreciate the fact that Vivek addressed the mental health epidemic in this country, although I think it’s unrealistic to expect everyone under 16 to stay off social media,” said Michael Toronto, 19, a student at Plymouth State University.

“Are you guys having trouble seeing me?” Scott asks on the side of the debate stage. It’s worth noting he hasn’t gotten a direct question since the first quarter of the debate.

NBC News is watching the debate at New England College with eight college students who vote in New Hampshire.

"Pence has made a serious habit of avoiding solid answers to questions," said Brendan Bunnell, 22, a student at the University of New Hampshire. "Additionally, to younger voters like me, he comes across as a moral grandstander when he does this. His remarks on Vivek’s age are also off-putting — in my opinion, of course.”

The Biden campaign so far is framing this as showing that despite Trump’s absence from the debate stage, the GOP candidates aren’t that different.

The campaign’s director of rapid response, Ammar Moussa, tweeted: “Simple question: An hour in, has anyone on the debate stage named a single way they’re different from Donald Trump? The answer, pretty resoundingly is...no.”

Campaign spokesperson Kevin Munoz pushes a similar point, saying GOP hopefuls are campaigning on similar “failed” policies that were pursued by the Trump administration.

NBC News is watching the debate with dozens of California conservative voters less than 2 miles from the debate stage.

It took me a quarter of the way through the debate to find the room’s black sheep: Nancy Mazza.

Staunchly Republican. Hates Trump.

She repeatedly referred to him as “Con Don” over the grumbling of her tablemates and spoke to a hope for a candidate like Haley to defeat him … not necessarily Biden.

“We need new blood in the party,” she exclaimed.

She also likes Haley for a more measured stance on abortion and was appalled at the Roe v. Wade decision. She feels Haley can “bridge the gap.”

That was likely to be the most side-eye I’ll see all night.

The second hour of the debate starts with a question about education. The candidates on the stage have to convince Republican primary voters not only that they have the best plans on education — they have to persuade voters across the spectrum to trust their party to handle the issue.

Per our latest NBC News poll, just 30% of registered voters say Republicans are better at dealing with education than Democrats. More — 40% — say Democrats are better at dealing with the issue.

Presidential primary debates are always targets for issue ads — groups regularly spend big money trying to target politically plugged-in viewers like those watching debates. But an ad against a ban on menthol cigarettes? That’s a new one for me.

If the debate is moving fast — or slowly — for you, we've hit the halfway mark.

No mention of abortion yet — that is the one issue where there is actually some daylight between these candidates’ positions.

Several candidates have been signaling they are going to blast Trump for not committing to a federal ban and for criticizing the DeSantis six-week ban.

Scott, in both debates now, has been unable to chime in on the police reform conversation, even though his work on the issue in Congress is a core component of his campaign.

Sahil Kapur points out: This debate shows how Republicans are stuck in neutral on health care policy, speaking in abstractions.

Mike Pence talked about transferring power to the states; Ron DeSantis called for “more power for people and the doctor-patient relationship.” Since the failed attempt to repeal Obamacare in 2017, which backfired politically, the GOP has largely steered clear of this issue.

Ben Kamisar adds: Sahil makes a good point on the GOP being stuck in neutral and “speaking in abstractions” on health care.

That’s why, to me, Haley’s answer on health care stands out after a few ducks and dodges by other candidates. She’s pretty straightforward here and lays out specific policy ideas — wonder if that will resonate with voters.

DeSantis took a question about Florida’s imploding property insurance market and made it about government entitlement programs. The state become Florida’s biggest insurer as private insurance companies continue to flee and people can't get coverage. 

A lengthy debate about health care … it’s feeling like the 2020 Democratic primaries again.

NBC News is watching the debate at New England College with eight college students who vote in New Hampshire.

During the commercial break, students shared their first impressions of the debate.

“I think that it’s clear that there is a common enemy in this debate, which is Vivek Ramaswamy, and kudos to them for coming out and doing that, but they are not giving him adequate time to respond to that with good rebuttals,” said Brendan Bunnell, 22, a student at the University of New Hampshire.

"I’m not surprised by what Vivek is doing," said Jack Coleman, 20, a Dartmouth student. "I think he’s coming out with some bold statements that track media sound bites but lack of realistic chances of passing."

Julia Matte, 21, a student at Saint Anselm College, said, “Like I predicted, there’s a lot of bickering going on and not a lot of clear conversation.” 

“Obamacare”: [Obi Wan Kenobi voice: ‘Now that’s a name I have not heard in a long time.’]

Tough to have a debate when the candidates are 97.5% in agreement with one another on virtually every issue discussed.

An observation on Haley’s taking a little dig (from what it sounded like) a minute ago at Ramaswamy regarding TikTok — they’re only 12 or 13 years apart, so I wouldn’t call it a “generational” difference, but it definitely speaks to how Ramaswamy, on the younger end of the spectrum, understands TikTok’s power with young people despite the China concerns.

Pence just seemed to blame DeSantis for the Parkland shooter’s not getting the death sentence. There was nothing DeSantis could do about that jury, and he actually pushed legislation after it to make it easier to get death sentences in Florida.

Pence has called for an expedited death penalty for mass shooters on the campaign trail when voters have asked him about it.

Pence is a notorious question-dodger. Very good at sticking to talking points. A valiant attempt by the moderator to get her questions answered.

Trump’s campaign seemingly responds to Christie’s attacks on the debate stage with this photo of the former governor:

Ramaswamy inveighs against America’s “Swiss cheese of a southern border.” If that sounds familiar, it’s because Trump has used that exact same phrase to describe the southern border. Trump said in a 2016 debate: “Look at our borders. They’re like Swiss cheese.”

Talk about a forever war: a new drug war in Mexico

Trump just sent out a fundraising email about the debate, saying he’s being attacked by RINOs — Republicans In Name Only — in his absence. 

"As you read this email, disloyal 'Republicans' (RINOs, as we like to call them) are dishonestly attacking yours truly in tonight’s GOP debate and are playing right into Crooked Joe’s hands," the email says. "But rather than wipe the floor tonight with a handful of RINOs while we’re leading in every poll, I’m spending my time on the one and only REAL mission: firing Crooked Joe and MAKING AMERICA GREAT AGAIN!"

NBC News is watching the debate with a group of conservative voters at a home in Waukesha, Wisconsin.

Key nuggets from our group during the first break:

• They really can’t hear anything when more than one candidate is talking. It’s frustrating them, and they wish there was more structure.
• The Trump supporters here are still enjoying Christie’s answers.
• The group didn’t like that Scott didn’t let Ramaswamy respond to his charge about working with China and associates of Hunter Biden.

Feedback from Republican operatives not aligned with any campaign tonight: "Worst debate I’ve ever watched.”

Another: "Trump is winning tonight."

Ramaswamy has now emphasized multiple times that his points and policy proposals are not “Republican or Democrat."

Policing and reform could be a big moment for Scott — not just as the only Black man on the stage, but also as the main Republican who tried to negotiate a police reform package in the Senate.

DeSantis said they “back the blue” in Florida. In Illinois, DeSantis took out ads on billboards offering $5,000 signing bonuses to police move to his state and serve.

DeSantis again says Florida's at a 50-year crime low. As we reported last week, that's just an unverifiable number that law enforcement officials repeatedly warned was based on incomplete data.

NBC News is watching the debate at Aase Haugen, a Christian retirement community in Decorah, Iowa, with seven caucusgoers.

Kent Shuchmann, 77, voted for Trump twice but went into tonight’s debate leaning Haley. At the first commercial break, he says the only one who’s impressed him is Ramaswamy. He likes the 38-year-old businessman’s style.

“I’m impressed the way Ramaswamy fights. He’s there for battle, and he battles well.”

DeSantis does look a lot more physically comfortable tonight compared to last time. The awkward smile, the strange volume modulation (recall the semi-shouted answer at the outset of the first debate): That’s all gone. It seems like he got some training and is a bit more at ease behind the lectern. 

Scott targeted Biden and Ramaswamy in seven attacks in the first 30-some minutes of the debate. Follow along with the NBC News debate attack tracker.

Christie’s pulling a “Donald Duck” line reminds me of the 2016 campaign when a Democratic staffer dressed up in a duck costume to mock Trump for refusing to release his taxes.

In 2016, Christie’s most famous debate moment was when he roasted Marco Rubio for repeating a canned line over and over. And yet, it really feels like some of his Trump lines tonight — including his “Donald Duck” bit — were rehearsed ahead of time.

Seeing all of these candidate spouses sitting behind the moderators, it strikes me that Haley’s husband is not there because he’s serving overseas for the next year.

Headed into the night, there was a growing expectation that DeSantis and Haley would be a major focus, and likely spar with each other.

More than 30 minutes in, though, the attacks are once again flying between Ramaswamy and Pence, who came after Ramaswamy’s past debate performance during the first GOP debate in Milwaukee.

“Last debate he said we were all bought and paid for,” Pence said.

Ramaswamy did call everyone on stage “good people” in a departure from his past combative debate performance, but responded to Pence saying “these are good people tainted by a broken system.” 

Chris Christie takes another shot at Trump for not attending — and talks straight to camera to Trump. Gets some jeers for saying they will start calling Trump “Donald Duck” if he doesn’t start showing up.

The first question after the break is on crime, a topic where Republican candidates are uniquely positioned to address the issue, according to our latest NBC News poll. Forty-six percent of registered voters said that the Republican Party is better at dealing with crime than the Democratic Party. Just 20% of voters said Democrats are better at dealing with the issue.

A pro-Ukraine spending ad playing during the debate is interesting. From Defending Democracy Together — urging Republicans in Congress to stand by the country — even as the debate over aid to Ukraine fractures the GOP-controlled House and could be a factor in the seemingly-unavoidable shutdown coming this weekend.

Earlier today, 93 House Republicans voted for an amendment to ban security assistance for Ukraine from a defense funding bill.

Veepstakes never far from mind. South Dakota's governor, and Trump ally/endorser, Kristi Noem with an ad about her state airing at the commercial break.

Tim Scott lobbed the first attack of the night on another candidate on the stage against Vivek Ramaswamy over business in China. Follow along with the candidate attacks on NBC News' debate attack tracker.

Jillian Frankel points out: Pence uses his speaking time (which was supposed to answer a question about Dreamers) to criticize Ramaswamy, as he did at the last debate. Pence repeated the “no time for on the job training” line that he used against Ramaswamy at the first debate.

Dasha Burns adds: Quick one-liners -- not necessarily what the former VP is known for.

Allan Smith adds: He did not have the same thoughts about running with Donald Trump, who also had no experience in government.

And for Pence's new line, Sarah Dean points out: That is now part of his stump!

The candidates clearly did their homework this time, dropping lots of research against opponents, which suggests they planned out attacks ahead of time with advisers.

Mark Murray points out: We are now 30 minutes into the debate, and it’s notable that the only real candidate criticisms about frontrunner Donald Trump have been about his no-show at the debate — but not on his multiple indictments or his position on abortion or position on other issues. Trump is leading the GOP race nationally by between 40 and 50 points.

Hallie Jackson responds: I take your point about the attacks on Trump so far mostly being focused on his debate no-show, but worth noting DeSantis did try to tie his attack back to spending: “He owes it to you to defend his record when they added 7.8 trillion to the debt that set the stage for the inflation that we have.”

And if you put that quote in a vacuum and tried to guess who said it — most ppl might’ve guessed Christie, not DeSantis.

Ramaswamy’s wife, Apoorva, and Desantis’ wife, Casey, are sitting one seat apart just behind the moderators.

Thirty minutes into the debate and most candidates' first attacks are Vivek or Trump, not Haley as her camp anticipated but the night is young

As we wait to see if/when Gov. Doug Burgum inserts himself again, just thinking about this tweet his team shared as he went onto the debate stage showing him touching a yellow “Believe” sign — a reference to Ted Lasso and his role as the underdog on stage tonight, just barely scraping by in polling to earn his spot on this stage.

Alec Hernández points out: It’s a bit ironic that DeSantis is trying to insert himself into this conversation. After the last debate, he told reporters in Iowa that he was glad to have stayed above the fray while other candidates got stuck in cross-talk.

Ali Vitali adds: Seems like Haley taking this advice more tonight than DeSantis is.

NBC News is watching the debate at New England College, with eight college students who vote in New Hampshire.

“Ron DeSantis came out swinging against former president Trump and focused on his own record in Florida — that’s what he needs to do tonight to reassure tentative supporters like me that he deserves the nomination,” Jack Coleman, 20, a student at Dartmouth College.

Coleman also said, “Vivek is doing what I expected him to do — making waves with bold assertions like ending birthright citizenship but I want to hear how he’s going to fix our economy and broken education system. The border is important but deporting children born in America is not the way to solve that crisis.”

Kristen Welker notes: Sen. Scott so far has been more outspoken in this debate than the first and has come out swinging against Ramaswamy, blasting him for saying the other candidates were “bought and paid for” in the last debate.

Bianca Seward adds: And using this opportunity to clean up his “bought and paid for? absolutely!” error from Milwaukee

Tim Scott firing a shot at Vivek! He’s been calling out Vivek, as well as other 2024 contenders, including Trump, by name in recent weeks in what has been a complete shift from the early days of his campaign.

Also Vivek never mentions Tim Scott on the trail so interesting he’s his main target tonight.

Are there moderators here? This is the third or fourth time that the candidates have erupted into infighting and speaking over one another with little intervention by the moderators.

Scott’s saying his priority is for Americans to be able to keep their money reminds me of how he nicknamed the 2017 Republican tax cut law “hashtag keep yo’ money.”

Christie has been uncharacteristically quiet thus far, as he was during the first GOP debate.

Dasha Burns notes: Ramaswamy is doubling down on his plan to end birthright citizenship for undocumented immigrants.

Katherine Koretski adds: Ramaswamy on ending birthright citizenship, which he received to become a citizen of this country. Although he says his parents came here legally — but his father never took the citizenship test.

Alex Tabet points out: Trump said the same thing in 2018.

Biden has been a frequent target, and Trump has taken some hits, but the candidates on the stage have stayed away from attacking one another.

There is that happy warrior Ramaswamy again.

After being so aggressive in the first debate, Ramaswamy is doing the opposite tonight. He’s repeatedly going out of his way to say that he agrees with all the Republicans on the stage and that they’re all good people.

NBC News is watching the debate with dozens of California conservative voters, less than two miles from the debate stage.

As the debate starts here in Simi Valley, little separates the big stage from a watch party venue of about 50 people beyond the golf course it sits on.

Inside, the room’s north star is two women: Gloria McComb and Sandra Perrin. As each candidate was announced, they would either clap or sit silently. DeSantis got claps. Christie did not. Tim Scott got a clap and a “woo.”

I asked Gloria why the enthusiasm for Scott? “What do you like about him?”

“Love,” she corrected. “I love love him. I love that he talks about where he came from. He doesn’t have a lot of experience, but I feel like he has a plan.”

Both said that if their two favorites don't make a splash on stage, they will fully support another Trump presidency.

China is a topic DeSantis is extremely comfortable with and eager to talk about. It’s something he addresses regularly on the campaign trail. His policy of banning the Chinese Communist Party from buying land in Florida consistently gets applause on the trail, like it just did in the debate hall.

I’m surprised that Haley didn’t bring fentanyl and China into this border conversation. That’s usually one of her key talking points, allowing her to highlight her foreign policy experience.

I wonder whether that means we’ll see a Haley vs. DeSantis clash over China, then, and whether a former U.N. ambassador will outsmart a Florida governor on the issue.

Haley often gives a personal anecdote on the trail about immigration, saying, “My mother, who immigrated to this country years ago, always says if people break laws entering the country, they won't follow laws when they’re in the country.” That line often elicits approval at her campaign events.

A former U.N. ambassador running on cutting off foreign aid to southern neighbors is a surprisingly unsophisticated policy on immigration.

Haley differs from the two men standing next to her — Ramaswamy and DeSantis. Both of them talk relentlessly about a military solution at the border, whereas she is focused on boosting CPB and ICE.

Christie is asked about the border, and he predictably accuses Trump of failing to complete the wall. It will be notable to see how many OTHER candidates take aim at Trump over the same issue.

Immigration is central to the debate over government funding — and it could be a reason the government shuts down. McCarthy is trying to focus the funding fight on the border. Wonder whether any of these candidates will connect this fight with the 2024 GOP debate over the issue.

The moderators pivot to border security, which is a topic that might resonate with voters across the political spectrum. In our latest NBC News poll, voters overwhelmingly said Republicans are better at dealing with border security than Democrats.

Fifty percent of registered voters said the GOP is better at dealing with border security, while just 20% said Democrats were better.

Earlier tonight, Hallie Jackson reported that Ramaswamy is looking to be more moderate in tone. At the Ronald Reagan Presidential Library, he evoked Reagan’s 11th Commandment on the stage: Thou shall not speak ill of another Republican.

Ramaswamy says the “classical vs. populist” debate is a farce. Which is funny, considering that his back and forth with Pence in the last debate over how it’s not “Morning in America” anymore was a clear shot at Pence’s campaigning as if it’s still the Reagan era.

You’re already seeing a difference with Christie tonight. Advisers told me ahead of the debate that you can expect Christie to more consistently drill into Trump’s policy failures, conduct and refusal to debate. He did two of the three in his first answer — to a question that was unrelated to the former president.