GOP Candidates Fail to Make Breakthrough at Trump-less Debate

The repeated conjuring of both heroes and villains, which directed attention away from rather than toward those in the debate, was emblematic of the event.

The GOP candidates for president who qualified for the second debate take the stage at the Ronald Reagan Presidential Library in Simi Valley, Calif., on Sept. 27, 2023. Frederic J. Brown/AFP via Getty Images

News Analysis

Republican presidential candidates took the stage for a second debate at the Ronald Reagan Presidential Foundation and Institute in Simi Valley, California, on Sept. 27.