The first Republican debate on Wednesday night offered political pundits a bit of a thought experiment: If the clear front-runner doesn\u2019t take part, can the debate have a clear winner?<\/p>\n
Even as commentators spent the debate and its aftermath arguing over which of the eight underdogs on the debate stage performed best, they largely agreed that little seemed to alter the state of a race in which Donald J. Trump appears the runaway favorite.<\/p>\n
Still, some pundits said that Mr. Trump\u2019s absence did offer candidates the chance to differentiate themselves, an opportunity they may not have had if he had participated. And the battle to become Mr. Trump\u2019s top challenger, some said, is more hazy. Here is a sampling of commentary on how the candidates fared.<\/p>\n
Gov. Ron DeSantis of Florida in some ways entered Wednesday\u2019s debate with the most to prove and the most to lose. While he has long been viewed as Mr. Trump\u2019s strongest potential challenger, his campaign has stumbled in recent weeks amid fund-raising trouble and staffing changes.<\/p>\n
But while Mr. DeSantis may have seemed like the apparent leader among this group of hopefuls, political pundits noted that he largely evaded the serious criticism or attacks that rivals usually level at would-be front-runners.<\/p>\n
Rich Lowry, the editor of National Review, said during the debate that he expected Mr. DeSantis to \u201cdeal with constant incoming\u201d attacks. By the end, Mr. Lowry said that Mr. DeSantis had \u201chelped himself\u201d by sticking to his message \u2014 and took \u201cno incoming fire.\u201d<\/p>\n
Other observers noted Mr. DeSantis\u2019s ability to stay in comfortable territory, trumpeting his conservative track record in Florida as proof that he could steer the Republican Party to success.<\/p>\n
Mary Katharine Ham, a journalist and conservative commentator, called Mr. DeSantis\u2019s strategy \u201ceffective.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cGimme a topic. Yeah, I did that thing. Let me tell you what I did. It happened in Florida. Results,\u201d she said, summarizing his approach.<\/p>\n
Still, some wondered whether the lack of attacks against Mr. DeSantis heralded a new phase in the race.<\/p>\n
\u201cRon DeSantis was the leading candidate \u2014 still is the leading candidate \u2014 on that stage tonight,\u201d Jen Psaki, a former press secretary for President Biden, said on MSNBC. \u201cAnd they basically ignored him.\u201d<\/p>\n
Vivek Ramaswamy, an entrepreneur with no government experience, was the center of a number of contentious debate exchanges, seeming to enjoy being attacked as much as he appeared to relish going after experienced candidates over their records. But whether his scrappy, off-the-cuff sparring style helped him was a matter of disagreement.<\/p>\n
Ms. Psaki said that Mr. Ramaswamy might appeal to voters by coming off as among the most unscripted of the bunch. He has \u201ca little life in him, he talks like a human being, he says what he thinks and he pushes back on other people,\u201d she observed.<\/p>\n
David Urban, a Republican lobbyist who advised Mr. Trump in 2016, said on CNN that Mr. Ramaswamy\u2019s visibility made him a \u201cbig winner.\u201d<\/p>\n
But on the flip side, some suggested that voters might find his aggressiveness off-putting.<\/p>\n
\u201cI think Vivek coming out and just taking on everyone on that stage, that is pretty gutsy,\u201d Laura Ingraham, the Fox News host, said. \u201cI mean, maybe some people were annoyed by it,\u201d she added, \u201cbut I thought it was pretty gutsy.\u201d<\/p>\n
Mr. Ramaswamy\u2019s approach also helped call attention to some of his more established rivals, particularly Nikki Haley, the former South Carolina governor and ambassador to the United Nations under Mr. Trump.<\/p>\n
Though Ms. Haley\u2019s campaign has so far struggled to gain traction, many political observers said that she stood out on the debate stage by presenting herself as a voice of reason, particularly when she battled with Mr. Ramaswamy over his views on foreign policy.<\/p>\n
\u201cHe wants to hand Ukraine to Russia, let China eat Taiwan, stopped funding Israel,\u201d Ms. Haley said. \u201cYou don\u2019t do that to friends.\u201d<\/p>\n
Her comments drew notice. Alyssa Farah Griffin, a former communications director for Mr. Trump, said on CNN that Ms Haley \u201creally took Vivek to the woodshed.\u201d<\/p>\n
Others noted that Ms. Haley, the only woman on the debate stage, spoke with authority on abortion, when she accused other candidates of being impractical and ignoring the effect their rhetoric might have on women.<\/p>\n
\u201cI think Nikki is going to get a second look from some people based on some stuff she said tonight on abortion,\u201d Kellyanne Conway, a former adviser to Mr. Trump, said on Fox News. \u201cI\u2019m very pro-life, but I like what she said \u2014 that you don\u2019t demonize or punish women. That\u2019s important.\u201d<\/p>\n
The largest question looming over Wednesday\u2019s debate was whether Mr. Trump\u2019s absence would be a misfire that might allow another candidate to claim the spotlight and generate more support.<\/p>\n
By and large, political experts, even those who don\u2019t have favorable views of Mr. Trump, agreed that was not the case.<\/p>\n
Amy Walter, the publisher and editor in chief of The Cook Political Report, offered a stark assessment, saying that \u201cTrump has to be pretty happy with this debate.\u201d She suggested that none of the candidates \u201cmade their case\u201d to voters open to other options.<\/p>\n
Speaking on CNN, David Axelrod, a former adviser to President Barack Obama, said that Mr. Trump \u201cwon big\u201d after the debate, with \u201cno one emerging as his principal opponent.\u201d<\/p>\n
Brendan Buck, a G.O.P. political strategist critical of Mr. Trump, said that \u201cperhaps the biggest failure here tonight is nothing was done to make Donald Trump feel like he needs to participate in the next debate.\u201d<\/p>\n
For Rob Godfrey, a longtime Republican strategist based in South Carolina, Mr. Trump\u2019s absence was a missed opportunity to dismiss his political rivals.<\/p>\n
\u201cThere is no reason to believe he couldn\u2019t have pulled off the same standup comedy routine he used to dominate every primary debate eight years ago,\u201d Mr. Godfrey said in an interview.<\/p>\n
Anjali Huynh and Alyce McFadden contributed reporting.<\/p>\n