Nikki Haley has been in the race longer than anyone else on the scene, but I haven't had one yet. She was clearly keen to change that tonight, and she had one of the most memorable back-and-forth points of the night when she took Ramaswamy to question his lack of foreign policy experience. She came out early, not only against Biden but also against congressional Republicans, and she was one of the few contenders to pick an argument against Trump, pointing to his low favorability ratings. But for a candidate polling 3.4 percent nationwide, it's not obvious that was enough.
Burgum's presence was a win in itself for the governor, given his injury today. But he received scant talking time, and his most interesting response, when he finally came out against the national abortion ban, is unlikely to win him many new fans in the GOP.
But here's what I really think. The next debate isn't for another month, but Donald Trump will surrender to power in Atlanta tomorrow. His Mugshot will ricochet all over the Internet and land on the front page of every major newspaper in the country. At this point will people be talking about today's debate? Or will they return to talking about Trump? I put my money on the latter, and that's not good news for anyone on stage tonight.
–Analysis of Jacob Shirt, Inside the Election
