There were only two Republicans on the presidential debate stage Wednesday, as former South Carolina Gov. Nikki Haley and Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis met for the highest-stake face off yet just five days before the nominating process formally starts with Iowa’s caucuses. Haley and DeSantis’ spirited debate came in the shadow of a live town hall held by the man who is dominating the primary contest, Donald Trump. The former president, of course, has stayed away from all five debates, holding a rival town hall Wednesday on Fox News. The one Republican candidate whose entire campaign has been based around stopping Trump, former New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie, suspended his campaign just hours before the debate.
Quick Read
- Florida Governor Ron DeSantis accused former U.N. Ambassador Nikki Haley of being more liberal than California Governor Gavin Newsom.
- DeSantis critiqued both Newsom and Haley for dishonesty and liberalism during the CNN debate in Des Moines.
- His remarks came in response to a question about former President Trump’s suitability for presidency.
- DeSantis emphasized the need for a Republican candidate who can steadfastly fight for the party, accusing Haley of caving under pressure.
- The debate featured several sharp exchanges between Haley and DeSantis within the first 15 minutes.
- This was the first direct confrontation between Haley and DeSantis, the main contenders against Trump for the GOP nomination.
- DeSantis aims for a strong performance in the upcoming Iowa caucuses, seeking to outperform Haley.
- In his opening statement, DeSantis labeled Haley a “mealy-mouthed politician.” Conversely, Haley humorously cautioned against making a drinking game of DeSantis’s falsehoods.
- The competition between Haley and DeSantis has been termed “the race for second place” due to Trump’s lead in polls.
- Concurrently, Trump held a Fox News town hall in Des Moines during the CNN debate.
- Limited Field: The debate stage featured only two Republican candidates, former South Carolina Governor Nikki Haley and Florida Governor Ron DeSantis, making it the highest-stake face-off before the Iowa caucuses.
- Trump’s Dominance and Absence: Donald Trump, leading in the primary contest, held a live town hall on Fox News during the debate, maintaining his distance from the debate stages.
- Chris Christie’s Campaign Suspension: Former New Jersey Governor Chris Christie, who focused his campaign on opposing Trump, suspended his campaign hours before the debate.
- Battle for Second Place: The debate centered around who would be the best alternative to Trump, with both Haley and DeSantis acknowledging their positions as distant second to Trump in the polls.
- Opening Strategies: Haley began by promoting a new website tracking DeSantis’ “lies,” while DeSantis criticized her as a “mealy-mouthed politician.”
- Continuous Jabs: The debate was marked by constant barbs between Haley and DeSantis, with occasional swipes at Trump but more focus on each other.
- Trump’s Potential Influence: Speculations abound that Trump might choose his running mate from the top contenders if he remains the frontrunner.
- Cautious Criticism of Trump: Both candidates cautiously criticized Trump, with DeSantis focusing on policy differences and Haley pointing out Trump’s weaknesses in handling issues like the federal deficit and China.
- DeSantis and Haley’s Strategies: Both aimed to position themselves as the best alternative to Trump, hinting at the need to appeal to Republican voters beyond just being the runner-up.
- Debate’s Impact on Race Trajectory: The debate was not expected to significantly alter the overall race dynamics, with Trump still leading, but it highlighted the stakes and strategies of the two main contenders.
The Associated Press has the story:
DeSantis says Haley ‘may be more liberal’ than Newsom: ‘She caves’
Newslooks- (AP)
Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis accused former United Nations Ambassador Nikki Haley of being more liberal than California Gov. Gavin Newsom (D) during Wednesday’s Republican presidential primary debate in Iowa.
“I debated the governor of California, Gavin Newsom,” DeSantis said near the beginning of the CNN debate in Des Moines. “I thought he lied a lot. Man, Nikki Haley gives him a run for his money, and she may even be more liberal than Gavin Newsom is.”
DeSantis was responding to whether he believed former President Trump has the character to be president.
“As Republicans, you need someone who is going to be in there and fight for you,” he continued. “Anytime the going gets tough, anytime people come down, she caves.”
The exchange was just one of many barbs traded between Haley and DeSantis within the first 15 minutes of the debate.
The Wednesday night clash is the first head-to-head battle between Haley and DeSantis, who are the main rivals to Trump for the GOP presidential nomination. Both trail Trump significantly, though Haley has moved closer to the former president in New Hampshire.
DeSantis is seeking a solid result in next week’s Iowa caucuses, which are crucial to his campaign. He’s hoping for a significant win over Haley in Iowa.
In his opening remarks, DeSantis referred to Haley as a “mealy-mouthed politician,” while Haley warned Drake University students not to turn the debate into a drinking game every time DeSantis lies because they “will be overserved.”
The rivalry between Haley and DeSantis has been dubbed “the race for second place,” given Trump’s dominance in state- and national-level polls.
Trump participated in a Fox News town hall in Des Moines during the CNN debate Wednesday.
DeSantis and Haley jockey for second in Iowa GOP debate without Trump
There were only two Republicans on the presidential debate stage Wednesday, as former South Carolina Gov. Nikki Haley and Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis met for the highest-stake face off yet just five days before the nominating process formally starts with Iowa’s caucuses.
Haley and DeSantis’ spirited debate came in the shadow of a live town hall held by the man who is dominating the primary contest, Donald Trump. The former president, of course, has stayed away from all five debates, holding a rival town hall Wednesday on Fox News. The one Republican candidate whose entire campaign has been based around stopping Trump, former New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie, suspended his campaign just hours before the debate.
Christie wasn’t scheduled to be on the stage anyway as the field was whittled down to the only two candidates who are battling for a very distant second to Trump.
Here are early takeaways from the event.
THE FIGHT FOR SECOND
Ever since debates began in August, Trump’s absence has created a surreal scene of politicians badly trailing in the polls talking about what they’ll do when they win the presidency. On Wednesday, at least, it was painfully clear that the remaining contenders in the Republican primary are fighting for second place.
The opening question was why each of the two candidates thought they were the best option for voters who didn’t want to support Trump. That set the stakes squarely about second place and the candidates snapped to it.
Haley opened the debate by touting a new website to track DeSantis’ “lies.”
DeSantis countered: “We don’t need another mealy mouthed politician who just tells you what she thinks you want to hear, just so she can get into office and do her donors’ bidding.”
Haley responded that DeSantis was only angry that the donors used to be his but fled his troubled campaign.
It went on and on like that, with the two candidates constantly jabbing each other. They made swipes at Trump, but spent the overwhelming amount of time on the person standing at the podium next to them.
The political rationale is clear — Trump is 77 years old and faces four separate sets of criminal charges plus a bid to disqualify him from being president that is currently at the U.S. Supreme Court. Anything can happen, and if it does you’d rather be the runner-up than in third or lower. Plus, maybe Trump reaches down and picks his running mate from the top of the also-rans.
Trump’s campaign has already quipped that the debates are actually vice presidential debates and, during his Fox News town hall, suggested he already knew who his pick would be.
As has been the case, Wednesday’s debate didn’t seem likely to change the overall trajectory of the race, with Trump dominating. But at least there were some stakes.
ATTACKING TRUMP … CAREFULLY
By staying physically offstage, Trump has largely avoided being attacked in the debates. It’s tricky to criticize a man beloved by most Republican voters, and for the most part, the contenders haven’t bothered. But that’s been slowly changing, and continued to Wednesday.
DeSantis opened with what’s become his standard campaign sound bite that claims that Trump is only interested in “his issues” and DeSantis cares about “your issues.” Haley quickly criticized the former president for piling onto the federal deficit, not being strong enough against China and failing to end illegal immigration.
There wasn’t extensive criticism of Trump, but unlike in many past debates, DeSantis and especially Haley continued to take pokes at him as they answered other questions. DeSantis, for example, noted that former Democratic President Barack Obama deported more people than Trump did. Haley bemoaned that DeSantis was “trying to copy Trump” by failing to back Ukraine.
The main mission for both candidates was to vault into second. But there are increasing signs that both know that, if they make it there, they have to have an argument for why Republican voters should back them and not their former president.
