6 takeaways from the third Republican primary debate

Five candidates qualified, but the third Republican presidential primary debate on Wednesday was largely seen as a contest between Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis - once considered the most likely challenger to take on former President Donald Trump - and former United Nations Ambassador Nikki Haley, who has been making significant strides in early primary polls.

But some of the sharpest exchanges during the debate in Miami were between Haley and businessman Vivek Ramaswamy, who repeatedly sniped at Haley and even at one point criticized her daughter. Also on stage were South Carolina Sen. Tim Scott and former New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie.

Here are six major takeaways from the third GOP primary debate.

Trump came up, but didn't loom large

It's been a contentious primary so far, and as the field narrows, the undercard candidates appear to be feeling pressure to stand out from their rivals even as Trump continues to dominate.

But even though he wasn't there, opting to hold his