MIAMI — 2024 Republican primary candidates not named former President Donald Trump are being implored to reconsider their campaigns so a legitimate opponent can actually emerge.
But after this week's third debate in Miami, the single-digit polling candidates are not heeding party advice.
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Former George W. Bush speechwriter Marc Thiessen wrote in the Washington Post this week that the debate "made one thing clear."
"It’s time to cull the GOP field," he said.
For Sen. Tim Scott (R-SC), who almost did not qualify for the debate and is averaging 7% support in Iowa to Trump's 47%, voters should have a role in that process.
"That's up to the voters," Scott campaign spokesman Matthew Gorman told the Washington Examiner in the debate spin room. "We've been doing this for a while, right? Rick Perry at one point, Carly Fiorina, Newt Gingrich led in Iowa. Ted Cruz and Rick Santorum and [Mike] Huckabee in single digits. So look, these things are fluid, and I think it's important to have these sorts of nights because that's why people make up their minds, these contracts."
Scott was "clearest on abortion," Gorman contended. But the senator, along with former New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie, was overshadowed by Gov. Ron DeSantis (R-FL), former U.N Ambassador Nikki Haley, and biotech entrepreneur Vivek Ramaswamy.
Other than Haley, the candidates have not been able to capitalize on positive momentum from decent debate performances, according to University of Michigan debate coach Aaron Kall. But Haley is still polling 33 points behind Trump in Iowa, averaging 14% support.
"Historically, debates create fundraising opportunities and viral media cycles that can be helpful to fledgling presidential campaigns," Kall told the Washington Examiner. "Nikki Haley is the only candidate to date that has maximally benefited from this debate cycle in terms of fundraising and polling numbers."
That could be, in part, because of the candidates' reticence to criticize Trump, with "minimal" criticism during the last debate, per University of Iowa politics professor Timothy Hagle.
"That’s understandable to the extent that there’s still some hope by DeSantis and others that they can lure Trump supporters over to them," Hagle said. "If the polls were showing [President Joe] Biden well ahead of Trump, more of his supporters might consider moving to DeSantis or another candidate."
"As it is, the race continues to be basically stuck with Trump in the low 40% range and the others divided for the rest," he added. "We might see some additional candidates drop out, but there will likely be at least four that stay in the race until the Iowa caucuses: DeSantis, Haley, Christie, and Ramaswamy."
Meanwhile, Christie announced post-debate that this weekend, after a town hall in New Hampshire, he will become the first Republican candidate to visit Israel amid its war with Hamas.
In post-debate interviews, Christie has described the other candidates as "Trump acolytes" who are "afraid" of the former president and are only in the primary to be his running mate or in his Cabinet, in comparison to Scott, who has done little media since the debate, despite being on a three-day tour of Iowa.
"I'm playing to win the nomination, to defeat him, and to get him out of our party," Christie told MSNBC. "How much more losing do we have to do? I mean, Ron DeSantis said ... that he's tired of losing, but he can't get the guts to be able to say that Donald Trump is unfit for the office."
But Christie, who was booed last weekend during the Florida Freedom Summit, is not competing in Iowa and is instead focusing on New Hampshire, where he averages fourth place with 8.5% support, according to RealClearPolitics.
Even Gov. Doug Burgum (R-ND), who did not qualify for the debate, has declined to drop out, buying ads during the broadcast in Iowa and New Hampshire to scrutinize the Republican National Committee's “clubhouse rules." The self-funding millionaire also has a five-day tour of the Hawkeye State next week.
Simultaneously, DeSantis and Haley have been claiming victory and amplifying their post-debate fundraising, with the governor raising more than $1 million in the 24 hours afterward and Haley having her "best small-dollar fundraising day to date," per her campaign. That is welcome news for DeSantis, who, on the same day as the debate, lost Robert Bigelow, the Republican real estate magnate and donor of $20 million to the pro-DeSantis PAC, Never Back Down, to Trump.
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The Trump campaign, too, has continued its "Kiss of Death" newsletter, inspired by Never Back Down's Jeff Roe saying on Aug. 24 that the governor had 60 days to "beat Trump."
"It’s time for DeSanctus to finally admit this isn’t his time — and will never be his time," Trump campaign spokesman Steven Cheung said. "He needs to pack up his knapsack, bum a ride from a friend who has a plane, and head back home where he has been neglecting the people of Florida."