Vivek Ramaswamy, a Republican presidential candidate, and Ro Khanna, a Democratic member of the House, engaged in a civil discussion in New Hampshire regarding the future of the United States.

During the one-hour event at Saint Anselm College, Mr. Ramaswamy repeatedly referred to his “black hole” speech about the country’s collective heart and his belief that the nation is not declining like the Roman Empire. Meanwhile, Mr. Khanna focused on articulating his economic ideas and praising President Biden’s achievements.

In response to Mr. Ramaswamy’s remarks about Joe Biden, he retorted, “It is regrettable to be carrying the water of Joe Biden when everyday Americans know they’re suffering due to policies that came from this administration.”

The appearance of Mr. Khanna, a California Democrat, in New Hampshire showcased his frustrations with how Democrats have yielded ground to Republicans on economic vision. Originally planned as a conversation on race and identity at the University of Chicago, Mr. Khanna challenged Mr. Ramaswamy on social media and chased him to New Hampshire, the first Republican primary state.

On Nov. 30, Gov. Gavin Newsom of California will debate Gov. Ron DeSantis of Florida on Fox News as an effort to extend the White House’s message to a wider audience.

The Saint Anselm meeting primarily served as a platform for Mr. Ramaswamy to revive his struggling campaign, which currently ranks fourth in the state’s polling averages, behind Mr. DeSantis, Chris Christie, and Nikki Haley. However, all candidates still trail behind front-runner Donald J. Trump.

Despite the Israel-Hamas conflict, Mr. Ramaswamy maintained his “America First” isolationist stance. He stated, “I could care less about leading in the Middle East” and advocated for the United States to leave Israel to defend itself.

In response, Mr. Khanna questioned Mr. Ramaswamy’s vision of America, asking why he had such a limited perspective on the country’s interests.

Mr. Ramaswamy also displayed a tendency to overlook facts that contradict his views. When Mr. Khanna mentioned the 13 million jobs created under President Biden, Mr. Ramaswamy cautioned that the government sector had experienced the greatest job growth.

While the government sector has shown signs of recovery in recent months, government employment remains below its pre-pandemic level by 9,000 jobs, whereas the private sector has fully recovered all pandemic-related job losses.

Mr. Khanna has consistently challenged his party and President Biden to present a more inclusive economic growth vision. He emphasized the importance of government investment in manufacturing, criticizing Republican solutions of tax cuts and deregulation. He asked, “How is that putting a steel plant up in Johnstown, Pennsylvania?”

However, Mr. Khanna missed an opportunity to highlight President Biden’s significant legislative achievements in industrial policy, which include infrastructure investment, support for the semiconductor industry, and measures to combat climate change.

Meanwhile, Mr. Ramaswamy’s recurring talking points dismissing climate change, advocating for drastic reductions in the federal government, and cutting education spending were largely unchallenged.