News alert: Republican candidates struggled to make a clear argument against the absent Donald Trump in Wednesday's debate. Here are 5 takeaways.

Eight contenders battled it out in the first Republican primary debate, facing long odds and an uphill battle to stop Donald Trump from grabbing the nomination.

Advertisement Read in browser Read in browser Thu Aug 24 2023 'The elephant not in the room': 5 takeaways from the first GOP debate Eight contenders battled it out in the first Republican primary debate, facing long odds and an uphill battle to stop Donald Trump from grabbing the nomination. READ FULL STORY→ READ FULL STORY→ Advertisement A Better News Alert We've redesigned your News Alerts to have a cleaner look and feel. Let us know what you think about it. SHARE YOUR THOUGHTS ➔ SHARE YOUR THOUGHTS ➔ SUBSCRIBE TODAY Our Reporting. Your Stories. • Access subscriber-only content on all of your devices.   • Share a bonus subscription with a family member or friend.   • Read our universal eNewspaper - the digital version of our print paper.   • Experience bonus monthly magazines and hundreds of local papers. SUBSCRIBE TODAY SUBSCRIBE TODAY Newsletters   |    eNewspaper   |   Crosswords Follow Us Problem viewing email? View in browser Unsubscribe  •   Manage Newsletters  •  Terms of Service  •   Privacy Policy/Your California Privacy Rights  •  Privacy Notice  •   Do Not Sell My Info/Cookie Policy  •  Feedback