The pair of presidential hopefuls are jockeying to stand out as the top alternative to former President Trump, who’s leading in swing state and national polling, and running out of time to cut into Trump’s lead as the start of voting draws nearer.
Later today, DeSantis and Haley will take part in back-to-back town hall events on CNN.
At 9 p.m. ET, CNN’s Kaitlan Collins will moderate the event with DeSantis from Grand View University in Des Moines.
At 10 p.m. ET, Haley will appear at the same venue for an event moderated by the network’s Erin Burnett.
Next week, they’ll participate in more town halls with Fox News — Haley on Jan. 8 and DeSantis on Jan. 9.
Haley and DeSantis are also the only two candidates set to take part in CNN’s Iowa debate on Jan. 10, just five days before the caucuses. Other competitors didn’t make the cut, and Trump is skipping to join his own Fox News town hall as counterprogramming.
Read a rundown of what’s up next in Iowa from The Hill’s Jared Gans.
After Iowa votes, CNN and ABC are both set to host debates in New Hampshire, which holds its first-in-the-nation primary on Jan. 23.
DeSantis has invested heavily in Iowa, but polls suggest he’s still struggling for second place against Haley in the state. In New Hampshire, Haley appears to be gaining ground, but still trails Trump by double-digits.
At the same time, fellow candidates Chris Christie and Vivek Ramaswamy remain in the race — and Christie this week continued to shrug off calls to drop out.
In addition to the upcoming debates and town halls, the candidates have also been running through their own busy schedules of events in the early states.
It’s a jam-packed January for the GOP presidential hopefuls, and a key window of opportunity for Trump’s rivals to try to close in on him before ballots are cast.
Iowa, New Hampshire and South Carolina — which votes in February — could hint at what happens on Super Tuesday in March and determine who gets the Republican nod this cycle.
“The campaigns literally hinge on the next three weeks, each of them,” Jim Merrill, a New Hampshire-based Republican strategist, told The Hill.
Read more about Haley and DeSantis racing against Trump — and the clock — from The Hill’s Julia Mueller.
