DeSantis knocks Trump, GOP moves on from Reagan and other presidential debate takeaways

By MICHELLE L. PRICE and NICHOLAS RICCARDI
Associated Press

Seven Republican presidential hopefuls gathered at the Reagan Library in California for the second of the party’s primary debates, but the dominant front-runner — former President Donald Trump — skipped the event again. With less than four months until the Iowa caucuses officially jumpstart the GOP nomination process, the pressure is building on Trump’s rivals to show they can emerge as a genuine alternative. Here are some early takeaways from the debate.