CNN to host Iowa town halls with DeSantis, Ramaswamy

CNN is set to host presidential town halls in Iowa with Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis (R) and entrepreneur Vivek Ramaswamy next week as they vie for the Republican White House nomination in 2024. 

A town hall with DeSantis will air live Dec. 12, moderated by CNN’s Jake Tapper. The next day, the network’s Abby Phillip will host a town hall with Ramaswamy.

The events will come a week after Wednesday night’s fourth Republican presidential debate, and roughly a month before the Iowa caucuses kick off the party’s presidential nominating process in January.

The town halls, set to be hosted at Grand View University in Des Moines, will be in front of a live audience of Iowa voters who plan to participate in the state’s caucuses, according to a release from CNN. 

DeSantis has long been considered the top challenger behind former President Trump, who leads the rest of the field by a significant margin, but he now appears to be battling for runner-up status with former U.N. Ambassador Nikki Haley, who has seen boosts from her debate performances.

CNN hosted a town hall event with Trump in May.

After Wednesday’s debate in Tuscaloosa, Ala., the GOP hopefuls are headed toward Iowa — where DeSantis, Ramaswamy and their fellow competitors are vying to secure at least the second-place slot behind the former president.

Both town hall events will air at 9 p.m. EST on CNN, CNN International, CNN en Español and CNN Max.