Losers, scumbags and policy, too. The third GOP debate got testy, quick.

Nikki Haley’s ascension in the GOP primary was hard to ignore Wednesday night.

The former U.N. ambassador found herself playing the central role in the campaign’s third debate with no shortage of sparring partners or consequential moments. She reaffirmed her support for entitlement reform, to the glee of Democrats who read the same polls showing her as the most formidable opponent to President Joe Biden. To their annoyance, she appeared to try and moderate on abortion too, just a day after the issue tripped up Republicans in elections once again.

“I don't judge anyone for being pro-choice,” Haley said at one point.

The others on the stage took their turns trying to trip her up, going after her on political, policy and even personal matters. At one point, biotech entrepreneur Vivek Ramaswamy attacked her for criticizing TikTok even as her daughter was once on the app.

"You're just scum,” Haley replied.

But if Haley is the candidate of the moment, it must be noted that other, larger moments are happening around her. Ten miles away, former President Donald Trump, the runaway frontrunner, was holding a rally of his own, his overwhelming lead in the polls providing him the luxury of not having to worry about any harm he might endure from not showing. Haley, like the others on stage, criticized him early and then moved on to sparring with those who actually showed up.

Below are highlights of Wednesday's debate.

Ramaswamy says Biden should go

Ramaswamy ended the debate by calling not on his Republican rivals, but on Biden, to drop out.

The president should “step aside and end his candidacy now so we can see whether it’s [California Gov. Gavin] Newsom or Michelle Obama or whoever else,” Ramaswamy said at the end of his closing pitch.

Ramaswamy’s call comes as some Republican voters want to see lower-polling candidates like the Ohio entrepreneur get out of the GOP race so they can rally around one opponent to Trump. Top national Democrats, meanwhile, continue to take steps to quash Biden’s existing competition, including by not holding any primary debates.

Republicans grapple with abortion

Republicans faced a string of losses across the country Tuesday night, with the party again being run over by voters still angry about the Supreme Court overturning Roe over a year and a half ago. The candidates, however, didn’t address how the party should handle abortion rights until the last 20 minutes of the debate, and largely reiterated their previous positions.

Haley signaled that she believed this issue would largely be one left to the states. “When you look post-Roe, they took it out of the hands of unelected justices and put it in the hands of the people and now we're seeing states vote,” she said. “As much as I'm pro-life, I don't judge anyone for being pro-choice. And I don't want them to judge me for being pro-life.”

Haley and Sen. Tim Scott (R-S.C.) also had a brief back-and-forth on the practicality of a 15-week federal ban on abortion.

“No Republican president is going to ban abortions," she said, pointing to the fact that such a bill would need 60 Senate votes.

Haley doubles down on entitlement reform

Haley again called for reforming Social Security and other entitlement programs, drawing a contrast with Trump — and bringing up what Democrats say is a significant vulnerability for her candidacy.

"Any candidate that tells you that they're not going to take on entitlements is not being serious,” she said. “Right now you have Ron and Trump joining Biden and Pelosi saying they’re not going to change, or do any entitlement reform."

Haley has long called for making significant changes to the program, including raising the retirement age and removing cost of living increases in favor of increases based on the inflation rate.

She also called for limiting the program for the wealthy — namechecking Bernie Marcus, the former CEO of Home Depot and a major Republican donor, saying that he “hates getting that check.”

Haley goes after DeSantis on China

The intensifying rivalry between Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis and Haley finally spilled onto the stage as each accused the other of being too friendly to China.

DeSantis dug at Haley for letting China acquire land in South Carolina during her tenure as governor. Ramaswamy piled on, calling out Haley’s “tough talk” on China by saying she called China “our great friend” while serving as U.N. ambassador.

Haley tried to interject and defend herself, but the moderators wouldn’t let her. After waiting a full commercial break, she got her chance. Yes, she brought a fiberglass company to South Carolina a decade ago. But then she turned the tables on DeSantis, claiming that a report that had talked about Chinese business opportunities in Florida was recently scrubbed from a government website, referencing a report by The Messenger.

The governor smirked next to her.

The Venezuela-migration paradox

DeSantis and Haley agreed that Biden has been too kind to Venezuelan ruler Nicolás Maduro by easing oil-related sanctions on the Latin American country.

They advocated sanctioning the autocrat.

But the candidates are dodging an important point many in the foreign policy space make: the U.S. sanctions on Venezuela have helped damage the country’s economy to the point where more Venezuelans are fleeing to the United States.

That’s exacerbating the U.S. migration challenge that both candidates are also saying has to be resolved, without connecting the two issues.

‘You’re just scum’: Ramaswamy hits Haley on TikTok

The debate took a pretty nasty turn when the topic shifted to TikTok and whether it should be banned in the U.S. because of its Chinese ownership. Ramaswamy accused Haley of hypocrisy for criticizing him for being on the platform when her daughter is as well.

“In the last debate, [Haley] made fun of me for actually joining TikTok,” Ramaswamy said. “Her own daughter was actually using the app for a long time.”

"You're just scum,” Haley replied.

DeSantis says it’s time to end the Ukraine war

The Florida governor went further than many Republicans tonight, saying flat out he wants the conflict between Russia and Ukraine to come to an end.

“We need to bring this war to an end,” said DeSantis.

The U.S. needs to focus more on other priorities, including the southern border, he added. “We need the Europeans to step up and do their fair share, and we need to get serious about this threat this country faces, which is the Chinese communist party.”

Scott not clear on Ukraine funding

Scott declined to directly commit to sending more funding to Ukraine, focusing instead on the need to assure “accountability” for the money sent to the country. But the South Carolina Republican also insisted he supports Ukraine in its fight against Russia — casting the American interest in the topic as being about destroying Russia’s military.

The seemingly contradictory approach was likely a nod to growing discomfort among Republican voters with the billions being spent to aid Ukraine. But it wasn’t shared by others on stage.

Haley warned that isolationists in the GOP ranks would not stop at leaving Ukraine isolated but would soon do the same for Israel, too.

“America can never be so arrogant to think we don’t need friends,” she said.

After her, former New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie compared the current moment to the lead up to World War II. He also used the moment to tie Ukraine’s fight to Iran, which has been backing Russia in the war.

Ramaswamy calls Haley ‘Dick Cheney in three-inch heels’

Ramaswamy came after Haley, the only woman on the debate stage tonight, describing her as “Dick Cheney in three-inch heels.”

Haley fired back saying her heels are actually five inches and are “for ammunition.” The comments also dig at DeSantis, who is rumored to be wearing lifted boots.

Advice for Netanyahu on Israel-Hamas War

The GOP candidates had one basic message for Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu: Do what you have to do to destroy the Hamas militant group.

“Finish the job,” DeSantis said. “Finish them,” Haley said. “Not only do you have the responsibility and the right to wipe Hamas off of the map, we will support you,” Scott said.

Each had harsh words for Iran as well, including Scott calling for strikes on the country, which is a major patron of Hamas.

The one candidate who was reading from a different script was Ramaswamy, who said he would "avoid making the mistakes of the neocon establishment of the past" by "fighting wars that sent thousands of our sons and daughters" to die.

Ramaswamy goes off on RNC Chair

Ramaswamy, who had promised earlier in the night that he would “be unhinged” at the debate, came out swinging in his first answer, going after McDaniel — and the media.

“I am upset about what happened last night. We've become a party of losers,” he said, laying the blame at the feet of McDaniel. “Ronna, if you want to come on stage tonight, you want to look the GOP voters in the eye and tell them you’ll resign, I'll turn over and yield my time to you.”

Ramaswamy then criticized McDaniel for having the RNC partnering with NBC News — a mainstream media outlet — to host the debate instead of a conservative outlet. He tried to goad NBC’s Kristen Welker into defending the network’s reporting in 2016 and 2020.

She ignored him.

DeSantis: 'I'm sick of Republicans losing'

One night after Republicans suffered losses in Kentucky and Virginia on election night, DeSantis opened the debate saying Trump promised Republicans “were going to get tired of winning” but he’s getting “sick of Republicans losing.”

Instead, DeSantis argued, he “showed how it’s done” in Florida, where he won reelection last year in a landslide.

“Donald Trump’s a different guy than he was in 2016,” DeSantis said. “He owes it to you to stand on this stage … and explain why he didn’t have Mexico pay for the border wall. He should explain why he racked up so much debt. And he should explain why he didn’t drain the swamp.”

The attack was a notable departure from past debates where DeSantis was reluctant to go hard after Trump. Soon enough, Haley joined the pile on. Trump, she said, “was the right president at the right time. I don’t think he is the right president now.”

The sleepy scene outside the GOP debate

The scene outside of the Adrienne Arsht Center for the Performing Arts, the site of tonight’s Republican presidential debate, was pretty much dead; a reflection, perhaps, of the lack of drama that has come to define these forums where Trump doesn’t participate.

No protesters held signs. No crush of onlookers were there gawking for a glimpse of the who’s who making their way to a venue.

Ten miles away, the undisputed frontrunner was hosting a rally, giving the actual debate a type of undercard feel to it. But if the RNC had complaints that the media gaze was on Trump, that might have been partially their own fault. The media filing center Wednesday evening was a half-mile away from the debate site.