EDITORIAL: Trump watches from sideline as GOP candidates spar

Donald Trump skipped the Republican debate Wednesday in Milwaukee — in the physical sense — and that was a good thing. Absent the former president’s dominating footprint, his challengers for the GOP nomination had more room to distinguish themselves, for better or worse.

Some pundits argue that primary debates no longer serve an important purpose because they have devolved into contests emphasizing personality and demeanor rather than serious discussions over important topics of the day. There is some truth to that: The fixation with who “won” or “lost” often hinges on a gaffe or “gotcha” line rather than a candidate’s perspective on issues important to voters.

But it’s mistaken to believe that these debates have no value. Voters who tune in have a deeper well from which to draw conclusions about those seeking their support. For instance, the debate showcased differences between the GOP candidates on issues including foreign policy, spending and abortion.

On the latter, some hopefuls — such as former Vice President Mike Pence — said they favored congressional action limiting abortion rights. Others, such as North Dakota Gov. Doug Burgum, advocated leaving the issue to the states. Democrats have successfully argued that GOP efforts to ban the procedure or impose limits early in pregnancy are overly extreme. This has obscured the fact that voters are equally skeptical about those who sanction abortion well into the third trimester. That should be a point of emphasis for Republican candidates, which it was on Wednesday.

Ukraine also revealed competing perspectives. Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis and tech entrepreneur Vivek Ramaswamy opposed continued American taxpayer funding for the European nation’s war with Russia. Chris Christie, Nikki Haley and Mr. Pence argued that it was in this country’s best interest to aid an ally seeking to avoid being gobbled up by a despotic strongman.

Ms. Haley, who had a good night, deserves credit for pointing out that, for all the GOP talk about spending and deficits, Mr. Trump added $8 trillion to the national debt during his four years in the White House. The economy is an issue on which voters traditionally trust Republicans, and it was good to see Ms. Haley emphasize the need for the GOP to walk the walk on fiscal responsibility.

A Washington Post/FiveThirty­Eight/Ipsos poll found that 29 percent of Republicans thought Mr. DeSantis won the debate, with 26 percent picking Mr. Ramaswamy. Ms. Haley was third at 15 percent.

The possibility that one of these candidates can consolidate the anti-Trump bloc isn’t so far-fetched. Pollster Karl Rove noted in The Wall Street Journal this week that, in many early primary states, a majority of Republicans “don’t consider the former president their favorite.” In other words, the door is ajar.