On Wednesday night, there was no debate as to who came out on top in the head-to-head showdown between Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis and former South Carolina Gov. Nikki Haley.
Of five veteran political watchers polled by the Post, four said Haley was the clear winner.
Republican consultant Bill O'Reilly said Haley, 51, had a “great night” at Drake University in Des Moines and continued her “consistently crisp” debate performance.
“She was astute, knowledgeable and persuasive throughout the night,” he added. “Her use of 'DeSantisLies.com' was a smart rhetorical tactic by her camp. Few people will actually visit the website, but viewers have heard that message over and over again. She drove it home.”
Regarding DeSantis, 45, O'Reilly said the Sunshine State coach is “on point, but lacks the confidence that Haley has.” This argument won't hurt DeSantis, but it did nothing to build momentum on his side. ”
The consultant also took issue with DeSantis' use of the term “pale pastel” to describe Haley's ideas, which recalled Ronald Reagan's 1976 Republican National Convention speech. It was something that made me do it.
“It was totally weird,” O'Reilly said. “It may have sounded great in the warm-up session, but it seemed strange Wednesday night. It will be interesting to see if DeSantis stays in the race beyond Iowa.”
Rob Ryan, another Republican consultant, said DeSantis said in her opening statement that Haley was running to “pursue donor issues” and that she was “off to an overly enthusiastic start.” Ta.
“His failure to display some level of humor or charm during the attack, and calling Haley a liar, will remind many women of their ex-husband,” Ryan predicted. “Haley was strong and gave her information. She stood her ground and pushed back on DeSantis' attacks. She would have been wise to focus more on her own accomplishments. .”
O'Brien Murray, who has consulted with Republicans and conservative Democrats, told the Post that if the debate had been a boxing match, it would have ended sooner.
“Fortunately, Bell (the host) kept DeSantis bailed out,” he said, adding that Haley was “ready for the general election, she can win, and that DeSantis showed up.” just confirmed that she's ready for prime time, and he's ready to return to Florida. ”
DeSantis “smiles when he can attack, but when he can't, he looks like he's about to get hit by a bus,” Murray added. “Deer look more confident in the headlights.”
Looking on from the Democratic camp, longtime party adviser Hank Sheinkopf said Haley was a “bulldozer.”
“She tried to paint DeSantis as a liar, and it worked. DeSantis seemed lost,” he said.
After former New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie withdrew from the race early Wednesday, Scheinkopf said, “Haley came out of the debate with a lot of momentum. DeSantis will fight on both sides.” However, she was seen as an anti-Trump candidate during the campaign.
Democrats backed DeSantis' rhetoric on education during the debate, boasting about expanding school choice in Florida and nearly wiping out Miami's main teachers union.
But Sheinkopf said Haley pushed back even harder with her rights statement.
“Ms. Haley has been more honest about Social Security,” he said of her comment that workers currently in their 20s are likely to see their full retirement age raised. “She told the truth.”
One thing to note about the experts' verdict is that former President Donald Trump was not present. Former President Trump chose to hold a town hall with Fox News rather than face off against his closest rivals, CNN hosts Jake Tapper and Dana Bash.
“Haley sounded confident and like a leader, but this is the Twilight Zone,” said Chris Coffey, a Democratic consultant. “She can't bring herself to chase Trump, who is leading in every poll. It's like a race for second place after the race has been decided.
“They both kept calling each other liars,” Coffey added. The big winner tonight is Trump. The American people are losers. ”
Ryan agreed, comparing the CNN showdown to “a battle to see who would win the bronze and silver medals at the Olympics.”
“We'll know the winner by looking at whether CNN or FOX has more viewers.”
