Tag: Debate

Iowa Governor Kim Reynolds’ Pre-Caucus Endorsement of DeSantis Could Prove Costly to Kickoff Caucus State

M.D. Kittle

Iowa Governor Kim Reynolds’ endorsement this week of Ron DeSantis for president a little more than two months before the Iowa caucuses could give the Florida governor a bit of a lift, but it very well could hurt the state GOP’s future prospects.

Former President Donald Trump, who leads DeSantis by nearly 30 percentage points in the latest Iowa poll, has clearly expressed his dissatisfaction with Reynolds’ rallying around DeSantis — especially after he accused Iowa’s popular governor of playing political footsie with DeSantis earlier this year.

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Ramaswamy Campaign Urges RNC to Limit GOP Presidential Primary Debate Stage to Five Candidates

M.D. Kittle

Asserting the current crowded GOP presidential primary debate stage is too cluttered, the campaign for Republican presidential candidate Vivek Ramaswamy is asking the Republican National Committee to trim the number of contestants for the next debate in November.

Ben Yoho, CEO of the Ohio businessman’s presidential campaign, proposed revised criteria for candidates to make next month’s debate stage in Miami.

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Second GOP Presidential Debate Turns Into a Rhetorical Brawl as Candidates Jockey for Position in Trump-Dominated Race

M.D. Kittle

In a second GOP presidential debate that often seemed more like a disorderly reality TV show, the Babylon Bee’s satirical news headline may have best captured the mood of viewers: ‘Mute Button’ Wins GOP Debate.

The seven Republican candidates on stage at Wednesday evening’s gladiator match in Simi Valley’s Ronald Reagan Presidential Library shouted and talked over each other and slung more mud than an Iowa hog farm.

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GOP Presidential Candidates Prepare for Critical Second Debate Without Trump

M.D. Kittle

If Wednesday’s second GOP presidential primary debate proves to be anything like the first, we’re in for a night of political punches and maybe a rhetorical gang fight or two as the candidates look to score points in another Trump-less bout.

With former President Donald Trump skipping the debate at the Ronald Reagan Presidential Library in Simi Valley, CA, top tier candidates like Florida Governor Ron DeSantis, Ohio entrepreneur Vivek Ramaswamy, and former U.N. Ambassador Nikki Haley will try to tell those watching why they’re a better option than the race’s far and away frontrunner — and the rest of the crowded field of Republican candidates.

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Neil W. McCabe: Trump’s Decision to Skip the Second Debate and Go to Michigan Has Democrats ‘Freaking Out’

Tennessee Star Staff

National political reporter Neil W. McCabe shares his insights and political acumen as a new week in presidential politics unfolds on Wednesday’s episode of The Tennessee Star Report. Host Michael Patrick Leahy, along with all-star panelists Crom Carmichael and Carol Swain join in to discuss Donald Trump’s latest decision to skip the second debate and instead, go to the striking UAW auto workers – and sending Michigan Democrats into a tizzy.  TRANSCRIPT Michael Patrick Leahy: 7:20 a.m. – in-studio, original all-star panelist, Crom Carmichael; all-star panelist, Carol Swain. On the newsmaker line right now, the best national political correspondent in the country, our good friend, Neil W. McCabe. Neil, good morning. Neil W. McCabe: Hey, Michael, Crom, Carol, good to be with you. Michael Patrick Leahy: So we have some counterprogramming going on again from Donald J. Trump. We had the Tucker Carlson interview in the first debate of the Munchkins, and now there’s going to be a second debate at the Reagan Library Donald Trump is not going to go there. Tell us where he’s going to go and why. Neil W. McCabe: I’ll tell you, Donald Trump is brilliant. He is a showman and he is going…

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Burgum Campaign Announces ‘Cutting-Edge’ Voter Contact Effort as the GOP Presidential Long-Shot Looks to Miss Second Debate

M.D. Kittle

The campaign for North Dakota Governor and Republican presidential candidate Doug Burgum said it’s rolling out a “cutting-edge voter contact surge” that will target more “persuadable” voters.

Will it be enough to move the needle for a long-shot candidate on the outside looking in to next week’s second GOP presidential debate?

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Kinder, Gentler Iowa Cattle Call of GOP Presidential Hopefuls Sees Ramaswamy, DeSantis, Haley Generate Most Buzz

M.D. Kittle

The latest cattle call of GOP presidential contestants — sans former President Donald Trump — mainly maintained Iowa nice, a departure from last month’s first fiery primary debate and a similar Christian conservative event in July hosted by conservative talk show host lightning rod Tucker Carlson.

The 10 presidential candidates who appeared at Saturday’s Iowa Faith & Freedom Coalition’s Annual Fall Banquet and Presidential Town Hall took relatively few direct shots at their rivals.

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Interview: Long-Shot Presidential Hopeful Doug Burgum Says He’s In Campaign Until At Least the First Nominating Contests

M.D. Kittle

North Dakota Governor and GOP presidential hopeful Doug Burgum may be lagging far behind in the national polls, but this long-shot candidate is brimming with confidence.

Still hobbled by a severe Achille’s tendon injury suffered during a pick-up basketball game the day before last month’s pivotal first Republican presidential primary debate in Milwaukee, Burgum says he’s here to stay for the long haul. At least until the first culling contests early next year in the 2024 nomination chase.

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Former Maryland Governor Larry Hogan Says Political Outsider Vivek Ramaswamy ‘Shouldn’t be Running for President’

M.D. Kittle

Although he’s decided not to seek the GOP presidential nomination, former Maryland Governor Larry Hogan has plenty of advice on who shouldn’t be a candidate.

Hogan told CBS’ “Face the Nation” on Sunday that Ohio businessman and political outsider Vivek Ramaswamy “shouldn’t be running for president.

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Ramaswamy Blasts DeSantis ‘Monster PAC’ Following Report of Fake News Dirty Politics

M.D. Kittle

Republican presidential candidate Vivek Ramaswamy is blasting Florida Governor Ron DeSantis and “Monster PAC” following a report exposing the political action committee’s campaign in “spreading dirt” and “misstatements” about the poll-rising Ramaswamy.

“It came out yesterday that the DeSantis $100m+ Monster PAC is taking credit with their donors for ‘spreading dirt’ and manufacturing fake attacks on me,” the Ohio biotech entrepreneur said in a statement.

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Post Debate, Georgia Arrest and Mugshot, Trump Continues to Dominate GOP Race

M.D. Kittle

So much for indictments, mug shots, and the first GOP presidential primary debate. Teflon Donald Trump remains the clear favorite among Republican voters, according to a new Economist/YouGov poll.

The online survey of 1,500 adults, most of them registered voters, provides an interesting snapshot on just how important last week’s debate was — or wasn’t — and how unpopular some of the GOP presidential candidates are.

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GOP Presidential Hopeful Doug Burgum Campaigns in New Hampshire, Hobbling on in Long-Shot Bid for the White House

M.D. Kittle

Republican presidential hopeful Doug Burgum is limping his way through New Hampshire this week after suffering a leg injury before last week’s first GOP presidential primary debate. It would seem the North Dakota governor’s campaign for the White House is hobbled, too, after he failed to gain much traction last week in Milwaukee. Burgum made campaign stops in Derry and Bedford on Tuesday afternoon. He’s expected to be at Los Primos Mexican Restaurant in Merrimack for a 1 p.m. meet and greet on Wednesday, followed by a stop at Novel Iron Works at 3:30 p.m. in Greenland. The long-shot candidate shouldered on, as he attempts to recover from a ruptured Achilles tendon suffered last Tuesday in a pick-up basketball game in Milwaukee — a day before the first Republican presidential primary debate. He took the debate stage in an ankle boot, a necessary accouterment Burgum continues to wear to his Granite State campaign stops. The governor said he hasn’t missed a campaign event, and he doesn’t intend to. “I came from this town of 300 people [his hometown in North Dakota] and everyone was wishing me well, you know, ‘Go to Milwaukee, break a leg. I took it a little…

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GOP Presidential Candidate Vivek Ramaswamy Rides Debate Momentum to Second Place in New Poll

M.D. Kittle

Ohio biotech entrepreneur and GOP presidential candidate Vivek Ramaswamy has overtaken Florida Governor Ron DeSantis for second place in the Republican Party nomination chase, surging several points since last week’s debate, according to internal polling.

The online survey of 1,500 likely Republican voters, conducted for the campaign by pollster Cygnal, was taken post-debate from Aug. 24-26. It shows Ramaswamy in second place at 15 percent, with DeSantis in third at 12 percent.

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RFK Jr. Uses Surprise Country Hit Song ‘Rich Men North of Richmond’ to Blast GOP Presidential Candidates in This Week’s Debate

M.D. Kittle

Robert F. Kennedy Jr. hasn’t declared a winner in this week’s GOP presidential debate, but he does know who the loser is: The American people.

The Kennedy family scion and Democrat challenger to President Joe Biden for the Democratic Party presidential nomination blasted the eight Republican candidates who took the stage in Milwaukee as out of touch with the average American.

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Despite Trump’s Absence, Plenty of Fireworks at First Republican Presidential Debate of the 2024 Season

M.D. Kittle

For those who thought a Trump-less GOP presidential primary debate was doomed to be a snooze fest, the two-hour political bar brawl disabused them of that notion.

The first Republican National Committee debate Wednesday night in Milwaukee proved to be a tinder box for the slate of candidates trailing former President Donald Trump by as much as 40 percentage points or more.

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Conservative Firebrand Kari Lake Plans to Serve as a Surrogate for Trump at Wednesday’s GOP Presidential Candidates’ Debate

M.D. Kittle

Arizona Republican Gubernatorial candidate Kari Lake will be in attendance at Wednesday’s first Republican presidential candidates’ debate in Milwaukee, and she plans to speak up for an absent former President Donald Trump.

Lake, a close Trump ally, tells The Star News Network that she will do everything in her power to return the former president to the White House.

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Commentary: Trump’s Coyness on Debate Participation All Part of His Grand Strategy

Admin
Donald Trump

The first Republican primary debate of the 2024 presidential nominating cycle is set for one month from yesterday – on August 23, 2023. On that day, presumably, all major candidates for the GOP presidential nomination will assemble in Wisconsin to present their campaign pitches to the American public.

There isn’t an incumbent president in this year’s extravaganza, so it’s only natural that several hopefuls have expressed interest in a campaign. Deference is usually afforded a party president during his reelection run (as Democrats have announced there will be no debates on their side with senile Joe Biden currently in office), yet this year is different.

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GOP Presidential Hopeful Doug Burgum Rises in New Granite State Poll, Celebrates Donation Count

M.D. Kittle

North Dakota Governor Doug Burgum sees his presidential prospects rising following the release of a new Granite State poll.

The GOP presidential hopeful, who is barely showing up in national polls, garnered 6 percent support in the University of New Hampshire’s latest poll of likely Granite State primary voters. That’s good for a fourth-place showing.

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Presidential Campaigns Push Fundraising Appeals Ahead of Critical Filing Deadline

M.D. Kittle

Robert F. Kennedy Jr.’s campaign reminded supporters on Wednesday that the Democrat challenger to President Joe Biden is facing a “crucial deadline” on Friday. It will be the first time the presidential hopeful’s campaign donations will be made public.

In an urgent appeal for contributions, the Kennedy campaign disabused the notion that the Kennedy Family scion is running a “$100 million campaign.”

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GOP Presidential Candidate Vivek Ramaswamy Makes the Cut for the GOP Debates

M.D. Kittle

Republican presidential hopeful Vivek Ramaswamy has risen in the polls to a top 5 candidate. Now the Ohio businessman and political outsider has secured a spot on the Republican National Committee debate stage. 

In fact, Ramaswamy’s campaign crossed the RNC debate stage criteria threshold in May, several months before the debates are set to take place, according to the candidate’s camp.  

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Sparks Fly at Only Debate Before Wisconsin Supreme Court Election

M.D. Kittle

Two weeks to the day before a crucial election to decide whether conservatives or liberals control Wisconsin’s Supreme Court, the two candidates sparred in the only debate before Election Day.

The face-off Tuesday between far-left Milwaukee County Judge Janet Protasiewicz and conservative former state Supreme Court Justice Daniel Kelly quickly took on the feel of bitter divorce proceedings — packed with allegations of corruption, scandals, and lies.

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RNC Chair Ronna McDaniel Will Not Participate in Public Debate with Challengers Harmeet Dhillon and Mike Lindell

Kaitlin Housler

Republican National Committee chair Ronna McDaniel reportedly declined to participate in a live, public debate with her opponents, according to POLITICO.

McDaniel, seeking a fourth term as chair, cited her “existing commitment to a forum” that the RNC will hold regarding being absent from the live debate, the outlet reported Friday.

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Richard Blumenthal Runs from Grading the Economy in Debate with Leora Levy, Says It’s ‘Ongoing,’ Can’t Give It a Grade ‘Midstream’

Susan Berry, PhD

Senator Richard Blumenthal (D-CT) sidestepped giving the economy a letter grade during his only debate with Connecticut Republican Senate candidate Leora Levy Tuesday night, but when pressed to do so by the panelist, he responded the grade is “ongoing,” and “I don’t think that we can give it a grade midstream.”

Levy, however, plainly answered, “I would grade the economy ‘F.’”

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Kari Lake Calls Out Arizona PBS for Giving Katie Hobbs a Standalone Interview

Neil Jones

Arizona Republican gubernatorial nominee Kari Lake put local broadcasting company PBS on blast for allowing her Democrat opponent Katie Hobbs to have a solo interview on the station after refusing to debate Lake on stage.

“We just learned hours before airtime of tonight’s Clean Elections Commission [CEC] debate that PBS has unilaterally caved to Katie Hobbs’ demands and bailed her out from the consequences of her cowardly decision to avoid debating me on stage. As the CEC’s broadcast partner, PBS’ actions are a slap in the face to the commissioners of the CEC and a betrayal of their efforts to put on an actual debate,” Lake said in a statement emailed to the Arizona Sun Times.

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Commentary: Democrats Are Afraid to Debate GOP Opponents

Admin

Americans have long since come to expect debates between candidates for major public office. For many voters, these encounters provide the only opportunity to see how competing candidates comport themselves in a venue that is nominally beyond their control. In close contests, these debates can sometimes be crucial to the final outcome. Yet, as the November midterms rapidly approach, many Democrats have been extremely reluctant to meet their Republican opponents face-to-face on a debate stage. Indeed, in several high-profile contests, they have flatly refused to do so.

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Minnesota Secretary of State Simon Calls Voter ID Laws ‘Draconian’ in First Debate

Admin

The top candidates for Minnesota secretary of state squared off in their first debate Sunday night on WCCO Radio and the gloves came off almost immediately.

“My mission as secretary of state has been to protect the freedom to vote for every eligible Minnesotan. I’ve been proud to do that work with fairness, impartiality, and integrity, leading to results that we can all be really proud of,” said Secretary Steve Simon, a Democrat seeking a third term as Minnesota’s chief elections official.

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Accusations Fly Between Finchem, Fontes During Arizona Secretary of State Debate Focused on Voter Fraud

Rachel Alexander

Trump-endorsed State Representative Mark Finchem (R-Oro Valley) faced off against Democratic former Maricopa County Recorder Adrian Fontes in a debate Thursday evening hosted by Clean Elections on KAET PBS. Most of the lively exchange focused on the candidates’ stark differences regarding voter fraud, with Fontes more dismissive and Finchem stating election integrity is a priority. 

Finchem said in his opening statement that he is running due to what’s happened to the office under the current officeholder, Democratic Secretary of State Katie Hobbs, who is running for governor. He said he wants to “restore honor, integrity, and security” to the position. “It’s not up to the secretary of state to make the law, they enforce the law that’s already laid down.” In addition to other controversies, Hobbs has been involved in a high-profile legal dispute with Arizona Attorney General Mark Brnovich for making changes to the state’s Election Procedures Manual that Brnovich asserts are outside of her authority.

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Kari Lake Blasts Opponent Katie Hobbs for Dodging Interview Regarding Refusal to Debate

Neil Jones

Kari Lake, Arizona’s Republican gubernatorial nominee, blasted her opponent Katie Hobbs for walking away from an interview questioning why she refused to debate Lake.

“The world is not an easy place, and if she can’t stand up and debate me, then she can’t stand up against the cartels, she can’t stand up against the forces that are working against the people of Arizona. She needs to show that she has courage and get on that stage,” Lake shared in a press release.

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