MONTGOMERY, Ala. (WIAT) — Eight Republican candidates squared off Wednesday night for the first Republican Presidential debate.

ALGOP Chairman John Wahl and Alabama Democratic Party Chairman Randy Kelley each had very different views of what happened last night, with Kelley calling it “nauseating” to watch while Wahl saying it was a “great first debate.”

Overall Chairman Kelley says he doesn’t think there was much good that came out of the debate. He thinks President Joe Biden will win another term — citing the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law, his handling of the pandemic and his appointment of the first Black female Supreme Court Justice.

“If he gets another term, and I believe he will, then he’ll really go down in history as one of our greatest presidents,” Kelley said.

Republican Chairman Wahl says the debate was a good opportunity to hear from lesser-known candidates, though he wishes more time were spent on economic issues.

“So many people are struggling right now with the cost of living and skyrocketing inflation. I wanted to hear a little more about the candidates’ individually on what we could do to cut spending,” Wahl said.

Wahl says he thinks it was a good night for several of the candidates, including Vivek Ramaswamy, Nikki Haley and Ron DeSantis.

“It was a good night for Ron DeSantis. He kind of stayed out of the fray and didn’t get dragged down into the mud much and came across very presidential and was able to highlight a lot of his accomplishments in the state of Florida,” Wahl said.

Wahl says he hopes that former President Donald Trump will participate in future debates.

The next debate is scheduled for Sept. 27 in California. Candidates will have to meet a higher threshold of donors and a higher polling percentage in order to participate.