The single-digit candidates are only helping Trump
Washington Examiner
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In a rather gimmicky final question in the second Republican presidential primary debate, moderator Dana Perino asked candidates to name one other person on the stage who “should be voted off the island.” They mostly declined to answer, but there is an important point at the heart of the question.
There were too many candidates on the stage Wednesday night, and there are still too many running for a nomination few have a hope of attaining. If, as they all claim, they want someone other than former President Donald Trump to be the nominee, some of them need to turn ideas into action and drop out. If anything, Perino might have asked them to identify several candidates to vote off the island.
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She didn’t, so we will. In the competition to be the alternative to Trump, the race may already be down to two.
Gov. Doug Burgum (R-ND) has ceased to be merely irrelevant and has become an irritant, interrupting constantly from the end of the line as though anyone is listening to him or wants to. Some of his points are true, such as that President Joe Biden’s electric vehicle obsession is bad for American autoworkers and good for China. But Burgum is not a plausible candidate. His Best of America PAC spent $8 million just to get him to 1% in the polls for this debate. He has no prayer of reaching the 4% threshold for the next debate. It’s time he returned to Fargo.
Former New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie’s entire stated purpose of being in the race is to attack Trump, but without Trump onstage, his act is falling flat. His joke about Trump ducking debate — Donald Duck, get it? — was lamentable. Christie has under 3% support nationally and no hope of winning the nomination. The Republican Party simply will not vote for him. Instead of helping bring Trump down, Christie is helping his supposed adversary by taking marginal support from other, more realistic candidates.
Vice President Mike Pence is principled and consistent, and the courage he showed on Jan. 6 will not be forgotten. But he is a poor campaigner, coming across as tired and prosy. He is almost never interesting. Even his best line, “Joe Biden doesn’t belong on the picket line — he belongs on the unemployment line,” seemed worn out with practice and dropped like a brick. Before he delivered his memorable joke, “I’ve been sleeping with a teacher for 38 years,” you could see doubt fighting on his face with the need for bravado. There is no natural verve. It was cringe-inducing. He is inextricably tied to Trump, yet his old boss scorns him and has infected his base with that scorn. He, too, should do his party and the nation a favor and drop out.
Vivek Ramaswamy enjoyed a brief boomlet after his first debate performance, but voters have caught on to the fact that he is too slick and insubstantial. He flip-flops depending on what he thinks a given audience wants to hear. That was before former South Carolina Gov. Nikki Haley delivered the line that summed up what many primary voters were already thinking: “Honestly, every time I hear you, I feel a little bit dumber.” Ramaswamy clearly thinks too well of himself for anyone to expect that he will drop out, but he should. He is not a plausible nominee and would improve the field by not being in it.
Sen. Tim Scott (R-SC) represents a slightly more difficult question. He is a happy warrior, intelligent, and with a great American dream biography. He should also have been a good fit for the Ronald Reagan Presidential Library. But although he performed better than in the first debate, he has not caught the imagination of a sufficient following. It is difficult to suggest he should pull out, as he could do his party and the country much good if he caught fire. But it was not a good sign that he needlessly attacked Haley over curtains, of all things. He is on the bubble and has very little time to break out from the pack.
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Despite what Trump and his campaign repeat every chance they get, the Republican primary is not over. He has not won it. He can be stopped, and we hope he is. He has commanding leads nationally, but Republican voters say they are still shopping. Just 20% of Iowa voters say they are committed to voting for Trump, and just 23% of New Hampshire voters say the same thing, according to the latest polling. Meanwhile, a much larger 31% in Iowa and 34% in New Hampshire say they are considering anyone but Trump, while pluralities in both states (48% in Iowa and 43% in New Hampshire) say they are considering Trump and other candidates.
Trump has not closed the primary. He knows it. There is still a chance for others to seize the nomination, especially Gov. Ron DeSantis (R-FL), who put in a much more assured performance on Wednesday night than he did at the first debate, or Haley, who was not quite so strong but showed substance and has much to offer the party and the nation. To allow these realistic alternatives to Trump the space to accumulate support, it is vital that others give up their vanity projects. They can now say they were 2024 presidential candidates and will forever be known for that. But they need to drop out of the race.