Last night in Des Moines, the split-screen reality of the GOP primary
was on full display. On CNN, Ron DeSantis and Nikki Haley brutalized
each other for two hours during a debate essentially for second place —
largely ignoring the man who even while absent from the stage, is
running away with the race. Instead, a noticeably subdued former
President Donald Trump took to a Fox News-sponsored town hall, where he
mostly focused on a general election message. What should we make of it
all? Playbook co-authors Rachael Bade and Ryan Lizza sort through what
matters, what didn’t and where things stand with just a few days left.