The first political debate before the 2008 Republican primaries was held on May 3, 2007, at the Ronald Reagan Presidential Library in California. Other debates have taken place in New Hampshire, South Carolina, and Florida. They were generally broadcast by television networks.

The debates can have a substantial effect on the primaries and are important chances for the public to compare the candidates side-by-side.

Candidates in the debates Senator John McCain – Arizona (won nomination). Representative Ron Paul – Texas (withdrew June 12, 2008). Former UN Ambassador Alan Keyes – Maryland (withdrew from Republican Party April 15, 2008). Former Governor Mike Huckabee – Arkansas (withdrew March 4, 2008). Former Governor Mitt Romney – Massachusetts (withdrew February 7, 2008). Former Mayor Rudy Giuliani – New York (withdrew January 30, 2008). Former Senator Fred Thompson – Tennessee (withdrew January 22, 2008). Representative Duncan Hunter – California (withdrew January 19, 2008). Representative Tom Tancredo – Colorado (withdrew December 19, 2007). Senator Sam Brownback – Kansas (withdrew October 19, 2007). Former Governor Tommy Thompson – Wisconsin (withdrew August 12, 2007). Former Governor Jim Gilmore – Virginia (withdrew July 14, 2007).

Attendance Key: denotes candidate participated in debate; denotes candidate was not invited; denotes candidate absent but was invited; denotes candidate was out of the race. Details Candidates Participating Date Place Sponsor Sen. Brownback Fmr. Gov. Gilmore Fmr. Mayor Giuliani Fmr. Gov. Huckabee Rep. Hunter Sen. McCain Fmr. Amb. Keyes Rep. Paul Fmr. Gov. Romney Rep. Tancredo Fmr. Sen. F. Thompson Fmr. Gov. T. ThompsonMay 3, 2007Simi Valley, CaliforniaMSNBCMay 15, 2007Columbia, South CarolinaFox News ChannelJune 5, 2007Goffstown, New HampshireCNNJuly 12, 2007Detroit, MichiganNoneAugust 5, 2007Des Moines, IowaABCSeptember 5, 2007Durham, New HampshireFox News ChannelSeptember 17, 2007Fort Lauderdale, FloridaSky AngelSeptember 27, 2007Baltimore, MarylandPBSOctober 9, 2007Dearborn, MichiganCNBC, MSNBCOctober 16, 2007Washington, D.C.NoneOctober 21, 2007Orlando, FloridaFox News ChannelOctober 25, 2007Sioux City, IowaIPTVNovember 28, 2007St. Petersburg, FloridaCNNDecember 9, 2007Miami, FloridaUnivisionDecember 12, 2007Johnston, IowaCNN, Fox News Channel, IPTV, MSNBCJanuary 5, 2008Goffstown, New HampshireABCJanuary 6, 2008Milford, New HampshireFox News ChannelJanuary 10, 2008Myrtle Beach, South CarolinaFox News ChannelJanuary 24, 2008Boca Raton, FloridaMSNBCJanuary 30, 2008Simi Valley, CaliforniaCNNFebruary 2, 2008New York, New YorkMTV Key: denotes candidate participated in debate; denotes candidate was not invited; denotes candidate absent but was invited; denotes candidate was out of the race.

The candidate debates

May 3, 2007 - Simi Valley, California

The first Republican debate was at the Ronald Reagan Presidential Library in Simi Valley, California. It was simulcast live for 90 minutes on MSNBC and Politico.com. Questions were gathered from Politico readers for the candidates. All declared candidates were present, as Fred Thompson had not yet declared. Former First Lady Nancy Reagan was present, along with California Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger.

The debate was moderated by MSNBC anchor Chris Matthews of Hardball and Politico'''s John Harris. Questions were gathered from Politico readers for the candidates.

The candidates presented differing opinions of President George W. Bush, with McCain and Huckabee criticizing Bush's mismanagement of the Iraq War while Giuliani and Romney praised Bush, Ron Paul said Bush was a poor conservative. The candidates also presented different opinions on contentious issues such as abortion and stem-cell research but were united in calling for further tax cuts.GOP Debate Focuses on Iraq War, Abortion, Associated Press, May 3, 2007. All candidates opposed a pullout from Iraq except for Ron Paul, who spoke and voted against the resolution to authorize war on Iraq in 2002 and has been a vocal critic of the war.May 3, 2007, Republican Debate Transcript, The New York TimesMay 3, 2007, Republican Debate Video, YouTube

John McCain answered "yes" when asked whether he believed in evolution. Immediately following, the questioner inquired whether any of the candidates did not believe in evolution, three candidates (Tancredo, Brownback, and Huckabee) raised their hands. McCain then added "I believe in evolution, but I also believe, when I hike the Grand Canyon and see a sunset, that the hand of God is there also." Later in the June 5 debate, Brownback and Huckabee elaborated on their position, taking a far more moderate approach.

Pundits Howard Fineman and Joe Scarborough concluded that Romney did the best and maintained his posture by seeming the most energetic in the debate. Eugene Robinson deduced that Romney showed that he has the potential to be a formidable candidate and also answered the most questions in a consistent manner.

At the end of the debate, MSNBC's online votes showed Ron Paul standing out from the other candidates. Ron Paul won "Best one liner," "Who stood out from the pack" "Most convincing debater", and "Who showed the most leadership qualities?" In all four, he had at least 45% of the total vote.

Mitt Romney won an online vote taken at The Drudge Report, with Giuliani and Paul close behind.Who Won the Reagan Derby? Accessed May 7, 2007, at drudgereportarchives.com CFR Transcript MSNBC Transcript New York Times Transcript Video with Closed Caption

May 15, 2007 - Columbia, South Carolina

The second Republican debate was held on May 15 in Columbia, South Carolina at the Koger Center for the Arts at the University of South Carolina. All declared candidates participated. It was broadcast live for 90 minutes on Fox News Channel, and simulcast on Fox News Radio affiliates, including the station of the debate, WVOC. The event was moderated by Brit Hume, with Chris Wallace and Wendell Goler asking most of the questions. The debate was in three rounds, the first on the War in Iraq, the second on domestic issues, such as abortion, gay rights, spending and tax cuts. For the last, Brit Hume proposed a fictional scenario involving terrorism. The candidates had to predict their actions in that situation. Fox News held text message voting by the audience. Ron Paul received the most (33%) with Mike Huckabee second (18%).Fox News "You Decide: Results of 'Hannity & Colmes' Text Messaging Poll." FOXNews.com. 6 September 2007.

During the debate, Ron Paul asserted that American interventionism in the Middle East, from CIA installation of Iranian leaders to the bombing of Iraq in the 1990s, culminating in the ongoing Iraq war, led to anti-American sentiment in the Middle East and to terrorists plotting attacks against America. Rudy Giuliani portrayed Paul as implying that America had justified the 9/11 attacks through its actions and interrupted the proceedings to demand a retraction, which Paul refused. Former head of the CIA's bin Laden unit, Michael Scheuer, congratulated Ron Paul for his comments, calling them "the truth." Others portrayed the exchange as a victory for Giuliani.

The fictional ticking time bomb scenario suggested by the moderator was: "Three shopping centers near major U.S. cities have been hit by suicide bombers. Hundreds are dead, thousands injured. A fourth attack has been averted when the attackers were captured off the Florida coast and taken to Guantanamo Bay, where they are being questioned. U.S. intelligence believes that another larger attack is planned and could come at any time." Republican Presidential Debate in South Carolina Transcript John McCain and Ron Paul were the only candidates who said they were opposed to the concept of "enhanced interrogation techniques", a phrase Paul labeled Orwellian newspeak for torture. Mitt Romney suggested that the U.S. double the size of facilities holding non-citizen enemy combatants held in places like Guantanamo and deny them access to the protections afforded to American citizens, such as the right of having an attorney. Giuliani said interrogators should use "any method they can think of" and did not exclude water-boarding. Expressing disbelief at the idea of debating "whether or not waterboarding would be a bad thing to do" Tom Tancredo said "I'm looking for Jack Bauer."

Mike Huckabee drew the biggest laughter of the night when he accused Congress of spending money "like John Edwards at a beauty shop," a reference to Edwards, who at that time was a 2008 Democratic presidential candidate, spending $800 of campaign money on two haircuts.Esquire: John Edwards Political Future. January 21, 2010 CFR Transcript New York Times Transcript Entire Debate Video Video with Closed Caption

June 5, 2007 - Goffstown, New Hampshire

WMUR-TV, CNN, and the New Hampshire Union Leader hosted Democratic and Republican debates at Saint Anselm College in Goffstown, New Hampshire, part of the Manchester urban area. The debate was two hours, without commercials, making it and the CNN Democratic debate the longest debates in the 2008 season so far. All declared candidates participated, which excluded Fred Thompson. Wolf Blitzer of The Situation Room and Late Edition on CNN moderated the debate.Union Leader - Primary calendar , New Hampshire Union Leader, April 12, 2007.Union Leader - Tickets available for primary debates , New Hampshire Union Leader, May 16, 2007.

According to the online CNN.com poll, Ron Paul received the most votes in all but two categories: "snappiest dresser," who was Mitt Romney, and "most disappointing performance" who was Rudy Giuliani.CNN Poll results accessed June 6, 2007. The "big three" candidates (Giuliani, McCain, Romney) also received larger shares of air time compared to the "minor candidates." Graph of air time at Chris Dodd site, June 18, 2007.

A WBZ-Franklin Pierce College poll showed Romney as the winner of the debate at 22%, followed by Rudy Giuliani at 18% and John McCain at 11%. In that poll, none of the other candidates earnered over 3%. Participants in the debate: Sam Brownback, James S. Gilmore, Rudy Giuliani, Duncan Hunter, Mike Huckabee, John McCain, Ron Paul, Mitt Romney, Tom Tancredo and Tommy ThompsonRomney Leads in Debate Poll, Seacoast Online, June 9, 2007. CFR Transcript CNN Transcript CNN Video Video with Closed Caption New York Times Transcript Entire Debate Video

July 12, 2007 - Detroit, Michigan

Attended only by Tom Tancredo. All 10 Republican candidates were invited, only Tancredo attended.

This was held during the NAACP 98th annual convention. It was hosted by Russ Mitchell. Webcast from NAACP web site (click on Republican Candidates forum)

August 5, 2007 - Des Moines, Iowa

ABC News conducted a live, 90-minute debate that aired Sunday morning on a special edition of This Week, moderated by George Stephanopoulos at Drake University. All Republican candidates were present. Mitt Romney defended his change of position on abortion from support of reproductive rights to opposition of legal abortion care. Ron Paul spoke of pulling U.S. troops out of Iraq. The debate concluded with the candidates' revealing their biggest mistakes. Frontrunners Mitt Romney, Rudy Giuliani, and John McCain were given more time to speak than were lesser-known candidates, as in previous debates.

According to an on-line poll at ABCNews.com, Paul won the debate with 63% of votes. Paul's vote total was nearly eight times as many as runner-up Romney. Frank Luntz, a political commentator for Fox News, asserted that Mike Huckabee had won the debate. CFR Transcript New York Times Transcript Entire Debate Video Video with Closed Caption

September 5, 2007 - Durham, New Hampshire