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DES MOINES, Iowa – It was a slugfest.
Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis and former South Carolina Gov. Nikki Haley, sharing the debate stage in Iowa 5 days earlier than the state’s caucuses kick off the Republican presidential nominating calendar, spent a lot of their two-hour showdown Wednesday night time attacking one another and disagreeing on coverage.
That allowed the absent front-runner in the GOP race – former President Donald Trump – to emerge relatively unscathed in a debate that was held a few hours after one other contender – former New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie, suspended his marketing campaign.
Trump, who skipped a Republican debate for the fifth straight time since final summer season, was a couple of miles away in downtown Des Moines, participating in a Fox News city corridor.
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Former ambassador to the United Nations and former South Carolina Gov. Nikki Haley, proper, and Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis, left, showing at a Republican presidential nomination debate at Drake University in Des Moines, Iowa, on Wednesday, Jan. 10, 2024. (AP Photo/Andrew Harnik)
The verbal fireworks ignited moments into the debate, with DeSantis charging that Haley was a “mealymouthed politician who just tells you what she thinks you want to hear just to try to get your vote.”
Haley fast hit again, labeling DeSantis a liar.
“What we’re going to do is rather than have him go and tell you all these lies, you can go to DeSantislies.com and look at all of those,” Haley argued, in the primary of quite a few references to a brand new marketing campaign web site.
And she warned the viewers on the debate – which came about at Iowa’s Drake University – “don’t turn this into a drinking game. You will be overserved.”
After DeSantis claimed that “Haley’s running to pursue her donors’ issues. I’m running to pursue your issues and your family’s issues,” she returned hearth, arguing DeSantis “is only mad about the donors because the donors used to be with him, but they’re no longer with him now.”
And Haley charged that DeSantis’ “campaign is exploding.”
CHRISTIE TAKES AIM AT HALEY AS THE FORMER NEW JERSEY GOVERNOR DROPS OUT OF THE GOP PRESIDENTIAL RACE
DeSantis, who was convincingly re-elected to a second time period as Florida governor 14 months in the past, was as soon as the clear different to Trump in the Republican White House race. He was solidly in second place behind Trump, who stays the commanding front-runner as he makes his third straight presidential bid.
Republican presidential candidate Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis participates in a Republican Presidential Primary Debate at Drake University on January 10, 2024 in Des Moines, Iowa. (Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images)
But after a collection of marketing campaign setbacks over the summer season and autumn, DeSantis noticed his help in the polls erode.
Haley grabbed momentum in the course of the autumn, thanks to well-regarded debate performances. And in current weeks she caught up with DeSantis for second place in the polls in Iowa and in nationwide surveys.
Haley additionally surpassed DeSantis and surged to second place and narrowed the hole with Trump in New Hampshire, which holds the primary main — simply eight days after Iowa’s caucuses.
Republican presidential candidate Nikki Haley, a former ambassador to the United Nations and former South Carolina governor, participates in a Republican Presidential Primary Debate at Drake University on January 10, 2024 in Des Moines, Iowa. (Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images)
Haley and DeSantis battled over key points, from the conflict in Ukraine and the bloodshed in the Middle East to border safety and immigration.
In a pointy trade, DeSantis accusing Haley of being gentle on securing the border. Haley returned hearth, arguing “you can’t trust what Ron is saying.”
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While DeSantis and Haley spent loads of time focusing on one another, they did step up their assaults on Trump, with each of them criticizing Trump for not exhibiting up on the debate and knocking the previous president on coverage.
DeSantis slammed Trump for failing to “drain the swamp” and to end constructing the border wall with Mexico, and slammed him on the difficulty of abortion.
Former President Donald Trump, a 2024 Republican presidential candidate, speaks throughout a Fox News city corridor in Des Moines, Iowa, on January 10, 2024. (KAMIL KRZACZYNSKI/AFP through Getty Images)
Haley focused Trump for the exploding nationwide debt and never taking a more durable stance towards China.
She additionally aimed to body the race as a two-candidate contest between her and the previous president, stressing “I wish Donald Trump was up here on this stage. He is the one that I’m running against.”
Longtime Republican strategist David Kochel, a veteran of quite a few GOP presidential campaigns and statewide contests in Iowa, was in the debate corridor on Wednesday night time.
Kochel informed Fox News that DeSantis and Haley are “both getting a little bolder in going after” Trump.
“There are two campaigns going on in Iowa right now. One is Trump vs. his expectations and the other one is Haley vs. DeSantis to see who gets the right to take on Trump one-on-one,” Kochel emphasised.
Kochel, who stays impartial in the GOP nomination race, famous that Haley and DeSantis “both want a shot at Trump and the other one’s in the way.”
“She certainly got her licks in. She came across as more polished,” he argued. But he added that DeSantis “knew what he wanted to do tonight.”
And Kochel did not see a lot draw back for Trump – who’s sitting on an enormous lead in the most recent Iowa polls – in skipping the debate.
“His people don’t care. They’re with him no matter what,” he stated. And he famous that DeSantis and Haley are “in the semi-finals. Trump has a bye week.”
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