Candidates tonight on stage are: Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis, businessperson Vivek Ramaswamy, former Vice President Mike Pence, former New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie, former U.N. Ambassador Nikki Haley, South Carolina Sen. Tim Scott, former Arkansas Gov. Asa Hutchinson and North Dakota Gov. Doug Burgum.

Here are the key moments in the first Republican debate so far:

The first question was a softball about ‘Rich Men north of Richmond’

The first question at Wednesday’s GOP presidential debate wasn’t on abortion or foreign policy but today’s top hit song “Rich Men North of Richmond.”

The first question was directed toward Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis and why the song struck a chord with so many Americans.

“Our country is in decline. This decline is not inevitable, it’s a choice,” DeSantis responded. “We need to send Joe Biden back to his basement and reverse American decline.”

The song by Oliver Anthony Music appeared on social media earlier this month and has made an unprecedented leap to No. 1 on the Billboard singles chart. The song discusses inflation, high taxes and elite Americans he wants to hold accountable.

Haley goes after her competitors on spending

Former South Carolina governor and U.N. ambassador Nikki Haley laid into four of her opponents for raising the national debt during the opening moments of the first GOP presidential debate in Milwaukee on Wednesday.

Haley took aim at former President Donald Trump for adding a trillion dollars to the national debt, while also taking shots at Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis, Sen. Tim Scott (R-S.C.) and former Vice President Mike Pence for voting to raise the debt ceiling during their time in Congress.

Republicans, she said, are responsible for the nation’s ailing economy, not President Joe Biden.

“No one is telling the American people the truth. The truth is that Biden didn’t do this to us, our Republicans did this to us too,” Haley said.

Haley pointed to $7.4 billion in earmarks requested by Republicans in the 2024 budget compared to the $2.8 billion asked for by Democrats.

“So you tell me who are the big spenders,” she said. “I think it’s time for an accountant in the White House.

Haley additionally criticized the passage of the $2.2 trillion Covid-19 stimulus bill, as well as congressional action that required states to keep more than 90 million people continuously enrolled in Medicaid during the pandemic.

Ramaswamy goes after “super PACs”

Ramaswamy repeated his frequent criticism of outside spending with the line, “Do you want a super PAC puppet, or do you want a patriot who speaks the truth?” That could be interpreted as a shot at nearly every other candidate in the race, although most notably DeSantis, who is backed by Never Back Down, a super PAC that has raised more than $100 million and is frequently alongside DeSantis on the campaign trail.

Of course, there is a super PAC supporting Ramaswamy, too. American Exceptionalism PAC has spent more than $700,000 to support him so far, according to data from AdImpact, with new ads set to run tomorrow in Iowa.

Pence calls Ramaswamy a “rookie”

Former Vice President Mike Pence laid into fellow presidential candidate Vivek Ramaswamy, saying that “we don’t need to bring in a rookie” like Ramaswamy as the Republican nominee.

Ramaswamy, who has been rising in the polls, knew he would be the target of attacks, but he may not have been expecting them from Pence.

Pence had been asked by Fox moderator Bret Baier what he would do to tackle the nation’s rising debt. Pence said he was the “best prepared” candidate on the stage and touted his record as governor of Indiana, in Congress and as vice president and pledged to “restore fiscal responsibility” while floating potential Medicare and Social Security cuts.

“I’ve got news for you, Vivek. I’ve been in the hallway and West Wing,” Pence said.

Ramaswamy then said he wasn’t sure he “exactly understood” Pence’s comment.

“Let me explain it to you, Vivek,” Pence responded. “I’ll go slower this time.”

“Now is not the time for on-the job training,” Pence said. “We don’t need to bring in a rookie.”

Ramaswamy responded, calling himself a “patriot who speaks the truth” instead of a “Super PAC puppet” and said he wouldn’t bring “incremental reform,” but rather a “revolution.”