Former President Donald Trump and Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis have dominated the Republican presidential nomination fight for much of the year. Neither dominated the debate stage Wednesday night.Trump, of course, decided to skip the GOP맥스카지노�s opening presidential primary debate given his overwhelming lead in the polls. DeSantis showed up, but he was overshadowed for much of the night by political newcomer Vivek Ramaswamy.And there was no shortage of aggressive performances from the others on stage either. Former United Nations ambassador Nikki Haley, former Vice President Mike Pence and former New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie were aggressive when given the opportunity.It took more than an hour for moderators to ask about Trump맥스카지노�s legal battles, a discussion previewed with a video of the Atlanta jail where he will surrender on charges Thursday.The former president scheduled counterprogramming with an interview aired on X, formerly known as Twitter, while his team suggested that the debate was essentially an audience to see who맥스카지노�s best positioned to serve as his running mate.Here are takeaways from an action-filled night:VIVEK GRABS THE SPOTLIGHTAt the center of the stage, and the center of the debate's hottest exchanges, was a 38-year-old man who no one expected to be there even a few months ago 맥스카지노� a novice candidate and technology entrepreneur named Vivek Ramaswamy.Though he맥스카지노�s well behind Trump, Ramaswamy has crept up in recent polls, leading to his position next to DeSantis at center stage. And he quickly showed why when he showcased his ready-for-video, on-message approach 맥스카지노� talking about how his poor parents moved to the U.S. and gave him the chance to found billion-dollar companies.Then Ramaswamy started to throw elbows. At one point he declared, 맥스카지노�I맥스카지노�m the only person on the stage who isn맥스카지노�t bought and paid for.맥스카지노� He slammed his rivals as 맥스카지노�super PAC puppets맥스카지노� who were using 맥스카지노�ready-made, pre-prepared slogans맥스카지노� to attack him.He seemed to be betting that primary voters preferred something memorable said to something done. His rivals were having none of it.맥스카지노�Now is not the time for on-the-job training,맥스카지노� Pence said. 맥스카지노�We don맥스카지노�t need to bring in a rookie.맥스카지노�Christie cut in during one of Ramaswamy맥스카지노�s most biting attacks. 맥스카지노�I맥스카지노�ve had enough of a guy who stands up here who sounds like ChatGPT,맥스카지노� Christie said, adding that Ramaswamy맥스카지노�s opening line about being a skinny guy with a hard-to-pronounce name reminded him of former President Barack Obama 맥스카지노� not a compliment on a Republican stage. Ramaswamy responded by asking Christie for a 맥스카지노�hug," referencing when Obama visited Christie's state following Hurricane Sandy.Haley attacked Ramaswamy's argument that the U.S. shouldn't support Ukraine in its defense against Russia's invasion. 맥스카지노�Under your watch, you would make America less safe. You have no foreign policy experience and it shows,맥스카지노� Haley told him, standing directly to his left.NAVIGATING TRUMPIt took more than an hour for the candidates to confront the elephant not in the room.And when they did, most of the participants raised their hands to say they맥스카지노�d support Trump even if he was convicted. That맥스카지노�s after the moderators noted that Trump is facing more than 90 criminal counts in separate cases across four jurisdictions.Ramaswamy vowed to pardon Trump if given the chance.맥스카지노�Let맥스카지노�s just speak the truth. President Trump, I believe, was the best president of the 21st century. It맥스카지노�s a fact,맥스카지노� Ramaswamy said.Christie, a former U.S. attorney and frequent Trump antagonist, pushed back aggressively despite being drowned out at times by the audience's boos.Even if people disagree with the criminal charges, Christie said, 맥스카지노�The conduct is beneath the office of the president of the United States.맥스카지노�DIVIDE ON ABORTION POST-DOBBSThe Republicans on stage did not downplay their strong opposition to abortion rights when given the opportunity. But there was a clear divide among the candidates over whether to push for a federal abortion ban.Haley called on her opponents to be honest with voters that a federal law that imposes an abortion ban on all states would likely never get through the narrowly divided Congress. She said the issue should be sent back to the states. She also made a personal appeal.맥스카지노�We need to stop demonizing this issue,맥스카지노� Haley said. 맥스카지노�We aren맥스카지노�t going to put a woman in jail ... if she has an abortion.맥스카지노�On the other side: Pence, an evangelical Christian who has long fought against abortion rights. Both Pence and Scott openly endorsed a national ban on abortions at 15 weeks at least. Pence said that Haley맥스카지노�s call to find consensus in the states 맥스카지노�is the opposite of leadership.맥스카지노�맥스카지노�It맥스카지노�s not a states-only issue. It맥스카지노�s a moral issue," he said.As for DeSantis, who signed a 6-week abortion ban into Florida law just this spring, he didn맥스카지노�t take a position on a federal ban when asked directly. He said he was 맥스카지노�proud맥스카지노� to sign his state맥스카지노�s abortion ban, which is one of the strictest in the nation.Democrats were likely happy with the discussion. They already plan to make abortion a central issue in next fall맥스카지노�s general election.DESANTIS IN THE BACKGROUNDThe Florida governor was the highest polling contender on stage. Yet at the debate, he seemed to slide into the background as Ramaswamy took most of the attacks and fought with others on stage.DeSantis rarely waded into the back-and-forth, preferring to wait for a moment when he could give a lengthy statement. His critics 맥스카지노� especially Trump 맥스카지노� have hammered him for being awkward and wooden, and he had relatively few opportunities to dispel that impression.That맥스카지노�s not to say DeSantis didn맥스카지노�t have strong moments. He grabbed hold of a question about liberal billionaire George Soros, a major donor to left-leaning causes and frequent conservative target. DeSantis noted he was the only person on the stage who맥스카지노�s removed Democratic prosecutors who were elected with donations from Soros맥스카지노� network.맥스카지노�As president, we are going to go after all of these people because they are hurting the quality of life,맥스카지노� DeSantis said.But even when DeSantis successfully walked the tightrope that has defined his campaign 맥스카지노� avoiding direct Trump criticism while making a case for why he맥스카지노�d do the job better 맥스카지노� he was brought down to Earth.The candidates were asked whether Pence did the right thing by letting Congress certify President Joe Biden맥스카지노�s election on Jan. 6, 2021. DeSantis was notably quiet and had to be asked twice by the moderators for his answer. 맥스카지노�I맥스카지노�ve answered this, Mike did his duty, I맥스카지노�ve got no beef with him,맥스카지노� DeSantis said, contending that Democrats wanted the GOP to talk about Jan. 6 while pivoting to the future, saying the election has to be about Jan. 20, 2025 맥스카지노� the day the next president is sworn in.Bret Baier, one of the moderators, retorted, 맥스카지노�Donald Trump is beating you by 30 to 40 points in the polls so it is an issue we have to face.맥스카지노�It맥스카지노�s not clear whether DeSantis changed that dynamic. With roughly four months left to go until voting starts, he may not have many other big opportunities to do so.THE LONE WOMAN ON STAGEWith eight candidates on the stage, it was a challenge to stand out. But one stood out immediately 맥스카지노� Haley 맥스카지노� because she was the only woman there and the only person not in a dark suit and Republican-red tie.Haley quoted Margaret Thatcher about how women get things done while men talk, stressing the importance of educating girls and arguing that keeping transgender girls out of female sports was a woman맥스카지노�s issue. 맥스카지노�I am going to fight for girls all day long because strong girls become strong women and strong women become strong leaders,맥스카지노� Haley said.She also explicitly referenced the general election even as she remains a longshot in primary polls. Some of her most memorable moments came when she sparred with Ramaswamy on whether the U.S. should send weapons and funding to Ukraine.REJECTION OF TRUMP'S FALSE ELECTION CLAIMSTrump has almost made it a prerequisite for people vying for his party맥스카지노�s nomination to claim that he won the 2020 election. In 2022, Republican candidates in several debates were quick to say they disbelieve the 2020 election results.Not on Wednesday. Instead, candidate after candidate praised Pence 맥스카지노� who may end up a witness in one of the federal prosecutions against Trump 맥스카지노� for rejecting the former president맥스카지노�s pleas to halt Biden맥스카지노�s certification as the victor on Jan. 6. Only Ramaswamy declined to support Pence.맥스카지노�Mike Pence stood for the constitution and he deserves not grudging credit but our thanks as Americans,맥스카지노� Christie said.Pence has been attacked by Trump repeatedly and pursued by hecklers still angry that he didn맥스카지노�t try to keep Trump in office. While an Associated Press poll earlier this month found that 7 out of 10 Americans think Biden legitimately won the election, 57% of Republicans do not agree with that statement. 맥스카지노�He asked me to put him over the Constitution,맥스카지노� Pence said of the former president, 맥스카지노�and I chose the Constitution."AN UNRULY EVENT, AT TIMESThings started off quietly as the candidates beat up on Biden맥스카지노�s economic policies. But when the participants turned against each other, Baier and fellow moderator Martha MacCallum struggled to control the action at times.DeSantis helped set the tone early by rejecting the moderators' request for candidates to raise their hands if they believed human behavior caused climate change.맥스카지노�We맥스카지노�re not schoolchildren,맥스카지노� DeSantis charged. And the moderators abandoned their request.At one point, Ramaswamy and Haley shouted over each other for more than 30 seconds when the conversation turned to foreign policy. The candidates waved their fingers at each other as they yelled. The moderators stayed silent.Baier and MacCallum let the candidates drive the action for much of the night 맥스카지노� which is typically what the audience wants, although there will be critics who would have preferred a more orderly affair.