Winners and losers in Iowa’s GOP presidential debate

Here are the winners and losers in Wednesday night’s Republican presidential debate in Iowa:

LOSERS

Former U.N. Ambassador Nikki Haley and Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis. Yes, the only two candidates on the stage both lost this one.

Viewers learned that Ms. Haley’s campaign has a new web site devoted to Mr. DeSantis’ lies. They also learned that Mr. DeSantis believes Ms. Haley is more liberal than California Gov. Gavin Newsom and President Biden.

What a waste of words.

She mocked him for spending all his campaign funds to little effect, as if voters care about such things. There was remarkably little discussion of pocketbook issues and the economic anxiety that voters are feeling under Mr. Biden.

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SEE ALSO: As Haley surges in Iowa, DeSantis strikes with last-minute zingers

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Neither candidate was terribly eager to go after the GOP frontrunner, former President Donald Trump, the man they are supposedly in the race to beat. Ms. Haley said Mr. Trump needs to “answer” for his actions on Jan. 6. Mr. DeSantis predicted that, unfairly or not, Mr. Trump will likely be convicted of election interference because his jury in Washington will be composed entirely of Democrats.

So, at the end of two interminable hours of debate, a viewer might well ask, why did we bother?

WINNERS

Former President Donald Trump. He again skipped the debate, holding a town hall event simultaneously on Fox News. Well played, Mr. Trump.

Former New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie, who suspended his campaign hours before the debate. He sounded like a nothing-to-lose sage by predicting in a hot mic moment that Ms. Haley will get “smoked” in Iowa and that Mr. DeSantis is running scared.