More than a few political prognosticators who do not have a favorite Republican candidate told Newsmax on Wednesday night that the true winner of the first GOP presidential debate was actually the contender who sat it out.
"The winner was [former President] Donald Trump and the losers were all candidates not named Donald Trump," said historian and Chapman University Prof. Luke Nichter. "And the key moment was when the others tried to be combative and Trump-like to try to break through."
Nichter, author of the critically acclaimed new book "1968: The Year That Broke Politics," added that "the bottom line is that the debate did not change the momentum."
"I did not see anything that would help a challenger to close the gap with Trump," he said. "I do think [Vivek] Ramaswamy's energy broke through, especially set against a mostly tired field. But I don't think most Americans will conclude he is experienced enough to be president. However, he made the best case of anyone to be vice president."
University of California Prof. Dan Schnur, a one-time director of communications for California's former Republican Gov. Pete Wilson, echoed Nichter's conclusion.
" [Mike] Pence and [Nikki] Haley both demonstrated strong political skills that will help them a great deal going forward," Schnur told Newsmax. "Ramaswamy will get the biggest short-term positive burst. But Trump won the debate going away. The only candidates who criticized him were booed, and the debate structure kept them from spending too much time on him. Unless something dramatic happens on the campaign trail, it's possible that he will go all the way through the primaries without debating at all."
Veteran North Carolina political analyst Marc Rotterman added that "the big winner tonight was former President Donald Trump."
"His decision not to join the food fight that ensued will pay dividends for his campaign and for his poll numbers," he said.
Rotterman went on to observe that, in his opinion, "the big losers were the American people, the Republican Party, and I might add, Fox News."
"The moderators lost control of the debate early and it went downhill from there," he said.
Rotterman also voiced strong criticism of what he considered "too many people on stage" and said that the event "had more of a game show feel than a real debate.
"The Republican National Committee would be wise to set different rules for debate participation if they really want to present their vision of moving this country forward," he said.
But the conclusion of a triumphant Trump at the Milwaukee debate was not universal.
"Who shined in the debates?" said Donald Critchlow, director of the Arizona State University Center of American Institutions. "The moderators who controlled candidates and at times a rowdy audience."
The best takeaway Critchlow got from the debate, he told Newsmax, was that "the Republican Party has deep bench. If Trump falters, there are any number of good candidates. And [Florida Gov.] Ron DeSantis delivered his remarks with a fire not seen from him until now."
In contrast to the other experts who spoke to Newsmax after the debate, Critchlow said that "the loser was Donald Trump."
"Candidates and commentators noted three-fourths of Americans don't want a [President Joe] Biden vs. Trump rematch. Progressives and conservatives all said the debate would have been better if Trump had been there. Actually, the debate benefited by more policy talk and not heated rhetoric," he said.
The winners, Critchlow noted, were DeSantis and Ramaswamy.
"DeSantis showed emotion and directness. His slogan should be, 'stand your ground.' Vivek was just fun but showed his inexperience."
The most memorable moments, Critchlow added, "were when Pence spoke on January 6 and upholding the Constitution. And when [Chris] Christie was asked about UFOs. He said he was being asked this just because he was from New Jersey."
John Gizzi is chief political columnist and White House correspondent for Newsmax. For more of his reports, Go Here Now.