There’s no reason to think we will look back on Wednesday night’s Republican presidential debate and think it changed the trajectory of the 2024 presidential race, or the down-ballot races for control of the House and Senate.
But the way the eight Republican candidates on the debate stage in Milwaukee, none of whom was named Donald Trump, addressed a few key issues might prove instructive if you’re preparing a candidate for Republican primary debates for the House and Senate later this cycle.
Candidates up and down the ballot should expect to hear a reprise of Fox News Channel moderator Brett Baier’s question about the “elephant not in the room” in which he asked whether those in attendance would support Trump as the Republican nominee even if one or more of his indictments results in a conviction first.
