The first political debate before the 2008 Republican primaries was held on May 3, 2007, at the Ronald Reagan Presidential Library in California. Other debates have taken place in New Hampshire, South Carolina, and Florida. They were generally broadcast by television networks.
The debates can have a substantial effect on the primaries and are important chances for the public to compare the candidates side-by-side.
Candidates in the debates
Senator John McCain – Arizona (won nomination). Representative Ron Paul – Texas (withdrew June 12, 2008). Former UN Ambassador Alan Keyes – Maryland (withdrew from Republican Party April 15, 2008). Former Governor Mike Huckabee – Arkansas (withdrew March 4, 2008). Former Governor Mitt Romney – Massachusetts (withdrew February 7, 2008). Former Mayor Rudy Giuliani – New York (withdrew January 30, 2008). Former Senator Fred Thompson – Tennessee (withdrew January 22, 2008). Representative Duncan Hunter – California (withdrew January 19, 2008). Representative Tom Tancredo – Colorado (withdrew December 19, 2007). Senator Sam Brownback – Kansas (withdrew October 19, 2007). Former Governor Tommy Thompson – Wisconsin (withdrew August 12, 2007). Former Governor Jim Gilmore – Virginia (withdrew July 14, 2007).
Attendance
Key: denotes candidate participated in debate; denotes candidate was not invited; denotes candidate absent but was invited; denotes candidate was out of the race.
Key: denotes candidate participated in debate; denotes candidate was not invited; denotes candidate absent but was invited; denotes candidate was out of the race.
The candidate debates
May 3, 2007 - Simi Valley, California
The first Republican debate was at the Ronald Reagan Presidential Library in Simi Valley, California. It was simulcast live for 90 minutes on MSNBC and Politico.com. Questions were gathered from The Politico readers for the candidates. All declared candidates were present, as Fred Thompson had not yet declared. Former First Lady Nancy Reagan was present, along with California Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger.
The debate was moderated by MSNBC anchor Chris Matthews of Hardball and The Politico'''s John Harris. Questions were gathered from The Politico readers for the candidates.
The candidates presented differing opinions of President George W. Bush, with McCain and Huckabee criticizing Bush's mismanagement of the Iraq War while Giuliani and Romney praised Bush, Ron Paul said Bush was a poor conservative. The candidates also presented different opinions on contentious issues such as abortion and stem-cell research but were united in calling for further tax cuts.GOP Debate Focuses on Iraq War, Abortion, Associated Press, May 3, 2007. All candidates opposed a pullout from Iraq except for Ron Paul, who spoke and voted against the resolution to authorize war on Iraq in 2002 and has been a vocal critic of the war.May 3, 2007, Republican Debate Video, YouTube
John McCain answered "yes" when asked whether he believed in evolution. Immediately following, the questioner inquired whether any of the candidates did not believe in evolution, three candidates (Tancredo, Brownback, and Huckabee) raised their hands. McCain then added "I believe in evolution, but I also believe, when I hike the Grand Canyon and see a sunset, that the hand of God is there also." Later in the June 5 debate, Brownback and Huckabee elaborated on their position, taking a far more moderate approach.
Pundits Howard Fineman and Joe Scarborough concluded that Romney did the best and maintained his posture by seeming the most energetic in the debate. Eugene Robinson deduced that Romney showed that he has the potential to be a formidable candidate and also answered the most questions in a consistent manner.
At the end of the debate, MSNBC's online votes showed Ron Paul standing out from the other candidates. Ron Paul won "Best one liner," "Who stood out from the pack" "Most convincing debater", and "Who showed the most leadership qualities?" In all four, he had at least 45% of the total vote.
Mitt Romney won an online vote taken at The Drudge Report, with Giuliani and Paul close behind. CFR Transcript MSNBC Transcript New York Times Transcript Video with Closed Caption