Des Moines, Iowa – It was a slug festival.
Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis and former South Carolina Gov. Nikki Haley shared the debate stage in Iowa, five days before the state caucuses begin the Republican presidential nominating calendar, for two hours Wednesday night. spent most of the showdown attacking each other and disagreeing. policy.
That allowed former President Donald Trump, the front-runner in the outgoing Republican race, to participate in the debate hours after another candidate, former New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie, suspended his campaign. So I was able to emerge relatively unscathed.
Trump, who has missed five consecutive Republican debates since last summer, was participating in a Fox News town hall a few miles away in downtown Des Moines.
Former President Trump spoke at a Fox News town hall in Iowa.
Former United Nations Ambassador and former South Carolina Governor Nikki Haley (right) and Florida Governor Ron attend the Republican presidential debate at Drake University in Des Moines, Iowa, on Wednesday, January 10, 2024. Mr. DeSantis (left). . (AP Photo/Andrew Harnik)
The verbal fireworks ignited a debate moment, with DeSantis saying Haley was “a foul-mouthed politician who just says what you want to hear just to get votes.” denounced.
Haley quickly fired back, labeling DeSantis a liar.
“What we're going to do is, instead of having him go and tell all the lies, we're going to go to DeSantislies.com and see all the lies,” Haley said in a statement posted on the new campaign website. Asserted at the beginning of the mention. .
And she warned the audience at a debate at Drake University in Iowa: “Don't turn this into a drinking game. You'll be overserved.”
After DeSantis claimed, “Haley is running to pursue the donor issue. I'm running to pursue the donor issue. I'm running to pursue the issue of you and your family.” I'm just angry because the donors were once with him, but now they're not with him anymore.”
And Haley accused DeSantis of having an “exploding campaign.”
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Mr. DeSantis, who was convincingly re-elected to a second term as Florida governor 14 months ago, was once the clear alternative to President Trump in the Republican race for the White House. He is in second place behind President Trump, who is running for president for the third consecutive year, and remains the strongest candidate.
Republican presidential candidate and Florida Governor Ron DeSantis participates in the Republican presidential primary debate at Drake University in Des Moines, Iowa, on January 10, 2024. (Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images)
But after a series of campaign setbacks over the summer and fall, Mr. DeSantis saw his support in the polls decline.
Haley gained momentum during the fall with high praise for her performance in debates. And in recent weeks, she has edged DeSantis into second place in Iowa polls and national polls.
In New Hampshire, where the first primary will be held just eight days after the Iowa caucuses, Ms. Haley surpassed Ms. DeSantis and moved into second place, closing the gap with Mr. Trump.
Republican presidential candidate Nikki Haley, former ambassador to the United Nations and former governor of South Carolina, participated in the Republican presidential primary debate held at Drake University in Des Moines, Iowa, on January 10, 2024. (Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images)
Haley and DeSantis battled over important issues, from the war in Ukraine and bloodshed in the Middle East to border security and immigration.
In a heated exchange, DeSantis accused Haley of being soft on securing the border. Hayley countered, “I don't trust anything Ron says.”
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DeSantis and Haley spent much of their time targeting each other, but stepped up their attacks on Trump, criticizing him for not attending the debate and criticizing the former president on policy. did.
Mr. DeSantis accused President Trump of failing to “drain the swamp” and finish building a wall on the Mexican border, and also criticized him on the issue of abortion.
Former President Donald Trump, 2024 Republican presidential candidate, speaks at a FOX News Town Hall on January 10, 2024 in Des Moines, Iowa. (Kamil Krzazinski/AFP via Getty Images)
Haley targeted Trump for the exploding national debt and for not taking a tougher stance on China.
She also aims to frame the campaign as a two-candidate showdown between herself and the former president, saying, “I wish Donald Trump had been on this stage. He's the one I'm running against.'' '' he emphasized.
David Kochel, a longtime Republican strategist and veteran of numerous Republican presidential campaigns and statewide races in Iowa, was on the debate floor Wednesday night.
Kochel told Fox News that DeSantis and Haley are “both getting a little bolder in going after Trump.”
“There are two campaigns going on right now in Iowa: Trump vs. his prognosis, and Haley vs. DeSantis to see who gets the right to fight Trump one-on-one,” Kochel said. he emphasized.
Kochel, who remains neutral in the Republican nomination race, said Haley and DeSantis “both want to attack Trump, but the other one is getting in the way.”
“She certainly got better. She seemed more sophisticated,” he claimed. But DeSantis also added that she “knew what she wanted to do tonight.”
And Kochel didn't think there would be much downside to Trump missing the debate, as he holds a significant lead in the latest Iowa polls.
“The people around him don't care. They're with him no matter what,” he said. DeSantis and Haley then said, “We're in the semifinals. Trump has a bye week.”
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