Pressure is mounting for Haley and DeSantis to pull off a strong showing in Iowa. The rivals are set to face off Wednesday in the first debate — hosted by CNN — that is not sanctioned by the Republican National Committee.
Here’s what you need to know ahead of CNN’s debate in Iowa.
Who will be on stage:
Haley, DeSantis, and former President Trump were the only GOP candidates to qualify for the debate stage under CNN’s higher requirements.
Trump is skipping Wednesday’s debate — declining to attend every presidential debate, so far — and will instead appear at a town hall hosted by Fox News in Iowa. That leaves Haley and DeSantis to take each other on.
To qualify for the debate, contenders needed to poll at a minimum of 10 percent in three national or Iowa polls, including one approved CNN poll of likely Iowa GOP caucus voters.
Those qualifications knocked out former New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie and biotech entrepreneur Vivek Ramaswamy.
How to watch:
The network is scheduled to hold two presidential primary debates this month, with the first kicking off tomorrow at 9 p.m. ET in Des Moines, Iowa. Both debates will air live on CNN, CNN International, CNN en Español and CNN Max.
CNN anchors Dana Bash and Jake Tapper will be moderating Wednesday’s debate.
Where Haley and DeSantis stand ahead of Iowa:
DeSantis has focused much of his campaign on the Hawkeye State, where he leads Haley with 17.5 percent support, according to polling Decision Desk HQ and The Hill. But Haley is narrowing the gap against the Florida governor, coming in at 16.9 percent in the latest poll.
Trump still towers over his opponents with 52.3 percent support, but Haley and DeSantis are eyeing Iowa as their first opportunity to solidify their place as the top alternative to Trump in the race.
Haley has had a few stumbles lately, including her comments about the Civil War and her attempts to address the remarks. The former U.N ambassador has also faced criticism after suggesting that New Hampshire voters would “correct” Iowa in the primary.
As The Hill’s Julia Manchester notes this morning, while Haley is looking to outperform in the Hawkeye State, the real test is likely to take place in New Hampshire and South Carolina.
“If [Trump] does not break 50 percent, that’s going to be significant, and where Nikki comes in and how close is going to be critical,” New Hampshire-based GOP strategist Matthew Bartlett told Julia.
Trump’s Fox News town hall:
Meanwhile, Trump is set to participate in a town hall with Fox News at the same time as CNN’s debate. Fox News scheduled town halls for Haley on Monday, DeSantis on Tuesday and caps it off with one on Wednesday with the former president.
Trump has snubbed every GOP debate and held competing events at the same time, depriving his rivals of a key opportunity to go after the former president on the same stage. The dueling events have often created a split screen for voters, curbing viewership around the primary debates as a result.
Yet, as The Hill’s Brett Samuels noted, that doesn’t mean that Trump’s campaign is ignoring Haley as she’s grown momentum in New Hampshire.
Both he and DeSantis have turned their firepower on the former U.N. ambassador, with Trump’s campaign slamming her as a “globalist” and deriding her as “Birdbrain” while DeSantis’s campaign has sought to seize on her comments over the Civil War and the idea that New Hampshire would “correct” Iowa.
“I don’t see any world where we still need oxygen that Nikki Haley is asked to be the vice president,” Sean Spicer, a former Trump White House press secretary, told Brett. “I don’t think she wants it, I don’t think he wants her, and I think there’s a lot of other options that make a lot more sense.”
“I think the reason they are doing what they are doing is … this all comes down to his margin of victory,” Spicer noted to Brett. “If Trump can win decisively in Iowa and New Hampshire, I think, for all intents and purposes, the race is over.”
