It’s official: Ron DeSantis will get at least one more debate as a presidential candidate.
Nikki Haley confirmed that she would participate in a CNN debate, slated for Jan. 10 in Iowa.
“The first four debates have been great for our campaign and for voters, and we look forward to the fifth in Iowa,” Haley said. “As the debate stage continues to shrink, it’s getting harder for Donald Trump to hide.”
Trump, who has a commanding lead in all Iowa polls, has given no indication he will participate in that debate. He’s skipped the ones held up until now.
CNN will host two events as voters in Iowa and New Hampshire close in on their decisions before their presidential nominating contests, fulfilling the Governor’s wish that debates be “where the action is.”
The Iowa event will be five days before the caucuses, at Drake University in Des Moines.
The New Hampshire event, scheduled to happen after the Jan. 15 vote in Iowa, will be just two days before New Hampshire’s Jan. 23 Primary, at St. Anselm College.
Expect a narrower field than seen in the four debates sanctioned by the Republican National Committee. Qualifying candidates must have at least 10% support (without rounding) in three separate national and/or in-state “polls of Republican primary voters that meet CNN’s standards for reporting.” For the Iowa debate, one of those polls must be in-state, and the same condition holds true for the Granite State showdown.
DeSantis has said he’s interested in as many debates as he can get, but it’s not clear whether they’ve benefited him up until now.
Per a poll from The Economist and YouGov, Haley was perceived as the strongest participant in the four-person debate last week in Alabama.
Haley was judged by 21% as doing the best, 3 points ahead of Ron DeSantis’ 18%, with Chris Christie and Vivek Ramaswamy at 12% and 10%, respectively. Neither Christie nor Ramaswamy appear likely to be on the stage on Jan. 10 though.
The polling also shows 21% are not sure who won and an additional 24% saying “none of them” won.
The post Nikki Haley agrees to Iowa debate with Ron DeSantis appeared first on Florida Politics – Campaigns & Elections. Lobbying & Government..
