WASHINGTON — In a feisty second GOP presidential debate, Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis and former South Carolina Gov. Nikki Haley struck aggressive stances, lashing out at their opponents on stage and even at Donald Trump, the party’s frontrunner who chose to skip the event.
It was the type of fierce in-your-face tone that has proven popular with the GOP base.
A riskier approach: Mike Pence making a joke about sleeping with his wife.
At the end of the showdown at the Ronald Reagan presidential library, there were no clear winners and losers in the crowded GOP field that Trump is leading by a landslide. But DeSantis and Haley stood out among GOP candidates as the most aggressive on the debate stage.
As was the case at the first presidential debate, entrepreneur Vivek Ramaswamy took much of the incoming, and found himself on the defensive by his opponents.
“Every time I hear you, I feel a little bit dumber for what you say,” Haley sniffed to Ramaswamy.
Here is a look at the possible winners and losers of the debate.
