Nikki Haley agrees to Iowa debate with Ron DeSantis

Florida Politics ^ | 12.15.23 | A.G. Gancarski

[conservative98]

The CNN event is just days before the Hawkeye State caucuses, and both candidates trail Trump in polls.

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

[NWFree]

They deserve each other