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presidential debates

Evangelicals respond to last night’s Harris-Trump debate

John Fea   |  September 11, 2024

What a crazy night. Kamala Harris was relentless. To use boxing metaphors, Trump was on the ropes the entire night. Harris connected with relentless jabs and right hooks. The former president was on his heels through the entire debate. On […]

Harris won the debate, but will it matter?

John H. Haas   |  September 11, 2024

That’s the question.

Evangelical prayer as a political weapon

John Fea   |  June 30, 2024

Sean Feucht, wearing an “it’s not political, its spiritual” t-shirt, joins Samuel Rodriguez and Eric Metaxas in praying before Thursday night’s Trump-Biden debate. Praying for our leaders is a good thing. Using prayer as a political weapon is not a […]

Evangelicals respond to the Biden-Trump presidential debate

John Fea   |  June 30, 2024

It is interesting to note that very few pro-Trump/anti-Biden evangelicals are talking about the more than 30 lies Trump told during the debate. There was very little Trump said on Thursday night that was true! Jemar Tisby: Bart Barber, outgoing […]

The Washington Post calls on Trump to debate Haley

John Fea   |  January 29, 2024

Haley wants a debate. Trump does not. Here is The Post: The Republican National Committee will not anoint former president Donald Trump as the GOP’s “presumptive nominee” this week in Las Vegas after all. The Trump campaign wanted that formal designation bestowed […]

And then there were three (at least in terms of GOP debate qualifiers)

John Fea   |  January 3, 2024

Three GOP presidential hopefuls have qualified for the final debate before the Iowa caucuses. They are Donald Trump, Nikki Haley, and Ron DeSantis. Haley and DeSantis will participate in the January 10 debate at Drake University, five days before the […]

And then there were four…

John Fea   |  December 5, 2023

Believe it or not, there is another GOP presidential primary debate on Wednesday night. This one is at the University of Alabama. Are people still watching these things? (I mean people other than political junkies like me?) The field is […]

The GOP debate stage is narrowing

John Fea   |  November 1, 2023

Still no Trump, but next week’s debate in Miami will include Ron DeSantis, Nikki Haley, Vivek Ramaswamy, Chris Christie, and Tim Scott. Scott just made it. Here‘s Allison Novelo at CBS News: Sen. Tim Scott of South Carolina has secured his spot […]

Every candidate on the stage at tonight’s GOP debate should go after Trump

John Fea   |  September 27, 2023

Tonight is the second presidential primary debate. Donald Trump will not be there. He really doesn’t have to be there. He has a massive lead in the polls. Why would any political adviser suggest that the former president attend this […]

Conquering the wilderness, building a city on a hill, and tonight’s GOP debate

John Fea   |  September 27, 2023

Historian Peter Mancall will be looking for references to the Puritans in tonight’s GOP presidential primary debate. He found several in the first debate. Here is a taste of his piece at Zocalo Public Square: The second Republican debate will […]

Who will be on the GOP debate stage tomorrow night?

John Fea   |  September 26, 2023

The second GOP presidential primary debate on Wednesday night will include Doug Burgum, Chris Christie, Ron DeSantis, Nikki Haley, Mike Pence, Vivek Ramaswamy, and Tim Scott. Donald Trump will not attend. Former Arkansas governor Asa Hutchinson did not make the […]

Did New York Times columnist David Brooks just endorse Nikki Haley for the GOP presidential nomination?

John Fea   |  August 25, 2023

It sure looks like it. Here is a taste of his column today: I have a bunch of friends and acquaintances who are Never Trump, maybe-Trump or kind-of-Trump Republicans. They’ve been looking around for the candidate they can support and […]

Could Vivek Ramaswamy pass his own citizenship test?

John Fea   |  August 25, 2023

I think the upstart GOP presidential candidate would get at least one question wrong. Here is College of the Holy Cross historian Ed O’Donnell: Here is the full context: See our take on Ramaswamy’s recent GOP debate performance here. George […]

Tonight’s GOP debate: Winners, losers, and Vivek

John Fea   |  August 23, 2023

My favorite tweet about Vivek Ramaswamy’s performance at tonight’s GOP debate came from conservatvie William Kristol: Vivek Ramaswamy has no political experience. Tonight it showed: Ramaswamy’s schtick works well on cable news, but tonight he made every candidate on the […]

While the GOP candidates debate next week, Trump will be doing an online interview with Tucker Carlson

John Fea   |  August 18, 2023

It is actually a brilliant political move. Trump does not need to debate the other candidates. Nothing good can come from an on-stage tussle with Chris Christie and Mike Pence. By doing an interview with Carlson, Trump can avoid debating […]

Mike Pence makes the stage for the first GOP debate

John Fea   |  August 7, 2023

The Pence campaign has announced that it has passed the donor threshold needed to qualify for the first GOP debate on August 23 in Milwaukee. It must have been our July 24th call for everyone to donate a dollar to […]

What is it going to take for candidates to get on stage for the second GOP presidential debate?

John Fea   |  August 2, 2023

The second GOP debate will take place at the Reagan Library in Simi Valley, California on September 27, 2023. Alex Isenstadt of Politico is reporting that it is going to be difficult for candidates to get on the stage. Here […]

Mike Pence may not make the GOP debate stage in August

John Fea   |  July 24, 2023

He needs 40,000 individual donors to qualify for the August 23 debate in Milwaukee. He is not there yet. Here is Marianne LeVine at The Washington Post: HUDSON, N.H. — As he finished up his remarks at an outdoor garden […]

Chris Christie is running for president

John Fea   |  June 1, 2023

The former New Jersey governor is in. I heard a commentator say that Christie’s “lane” to the GOP nomination “runs through Donald Trump.” Will Trump get the Rubio treatment? Whatever happens, it should be entertaining:

GOP withdraws from the Commission on Presidential Debates

John Fea   |  April 15, 2022

Here we go: The Republican National Committee voted unanimously on Thursday to withdraw from its participation in the Commission on Presidential Debates, the organization that has long governed general-election presidential debates. In a statement, RNC chairwoman Ronna McDaniel said the commission is […]

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