Republican presidential candidates are scheduled to appear in several competitive town halls and debates this month, giving them a final chance to boost their campaigns before voting begins in the Iowa caucuses.
The first series of events will be held on Thursday. CNN is holding a series of town halls in Des Moines, Iowa, with former United Nations Ambassador Nikki Haley and Florida Governor Ron DeSantis. The DeSantis Town Hall will be hosted by CNN anchor Kaitlan Collins at 9pm ET, and the Haley Town Hall will be hosted by anchor Erin Burnett at 10pm ET.
Fox News Channel will host another set of town halls with Haley and DeSantis in Des Moines on Monday and Tuesday at 6pm EST. The town hall will focus on women's issues and will be co-hosted by anchors Bret Baier and Martha McCollum.
Haley will appear in Fox's first town hall on Monday, followed by DeSantis' town hall on Tuesday.
Haley and DeSantis have been fighting for months to become the leading candidate to replace former President Trump in the Republican nomination race, and will have the chance to go one-on-one in a debate just days before the caucuses.
The two will likely be the only candidates to take the stage at CNN's first Republican primary debate, to be held in Iowa on January 10th at 9pm EST. Both men meet the agency's requirements for debate eligibility, which include reaching at least 10 percent in three races nationally or one CNN Iowa Poll. including)
Entrepreneur Vivek Ramaswamy and former New Jersey Governor Chris Christie have both participated in previous debates, but did not meet CNN's requirements to participate.
Trump also qualified, but will miss his fifth consecutive debate, having previously cited Trump's large lead in opinion polls as a reason he doesn't need to participate. Instead, he will participate in a Fox News town hall in Des Moines at the same time, co-hosted by Baier and McCollum.
The network said the town hall will focus on “key issues” facing voters ahead of the Iowa caucuses.
All of this comes in the run-up to the Jan. 15 caucuses, when voters will take part in the Republican presidential nomination for the first time. The Hawkeye State traditionally plays a key role in narrowing down the presidential field and ultimately determining who becomes the party's nominee.
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