While the Iowa Republican Caucus--the first nominating contest in the country--takes place in just about a month from now, it remains to be seen if the CNN debate scheduled for January 10 at Drake University in Iowa will take place. Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis has agreed to participate, though his campaign is also going after former South Carolina Gov. Nikki Haley for her refusal to commit. Vivek Ramaswamy and former New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie look unlikely to even qualify.
A headline earlier this week from Axios, that "CNN's GOP debate in Iowa in peril with Nikki Haley noncommittal," has been making the rounds, especially with the DeSantis campaign:
Why it matters: The Jan. 10 debate would be the last high-profile event for any of the candidates to make a splash before the Iowa caucuses on Jan. 15, as a new poll shows former President Trump holding a historic lead over the rest of the field.
- Only Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis has agreed to participate in the CNN debate and is set to make the stage.
- The debate is particularly critical for DeSantis, who has predicted he will win the Iowa caucuses.
Between the lines: Haley has been noncommittal on the prospect of facing one-on-one DeSantis ahead of Iowa, even as she has also been calling on Trump to break his debate boycott.
- Haley told local Iowa TV station KTIV on Friday: "When it comes to President Trump as well, I think he's going to have to get on a debate stage here in Iowa because you're fighting for Iowans' votes. I think he's got to sit there and do the groundwork."
- "You can't have an election and not appear on a debate stage in front of the people who are going to be voting for you," she argued.
This debate is the first one not sponsored by the Republican National Committee, which last week decided to pause all debates and allow candidates to attend non-sanctioned forums.
- CNN said a candidate must poll at 10% or higher in three national or Iowa polls in order to qualify for the debate, and that at least one poll must be from Iowa.
- That effectively disqualified Christie, who has not invested time or money in Iowa as focuses entirely on breaking through as an anti-Trump candidate in New Hampshire (he'd likely qualify for CNN's planned debate in New Hampshire).
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Former and potentially future President Donald Trump has an average of 50 percent support in Iowa, according to RealClearPolitics (RCP), but has not participated in the debates. DeSantis has 19.7 percent, while Haley has 15.7 percent support.
A Fox News report also included statements from a Haley spokesperson about her position on debating:
Haley spokeswoman Olivia Perez-Cubas said the candidate would be "debating in Iowa," but made no specific commitments.
"Since the RNC pulled out of the debates, many new offers have come in. We look forward to debating in Iowa and continuing to show voters why Nikki is the best candidate to retire Joe Biden and save our country. That debate should include Donald Trump," Perez-Cubas said.
Haley herself has also referenced Trump in recent days and the kind of message it sends that he won't debate.
"When it comes to President Trump as well, I think he's going to have to get on a debate stage here in Iowa because you're fighting for Iowans' votes. I think he's got to sit there and do the groundwork," Haley said. "You can't have an election and not appear on a debate stage in front of the people who are going to be voting for you."
The DeSantis campaign has certainly seized on Haley's non-commital stance, with the DeSantis War Room X account posting about how Haley has also called out Trump.
When asked what Iowans are missing with Trump not debating, Haley offered that "I think he has gotten a pass" by not participating in the earlier debates, but that "I don’t think you get a pass when it comes to an Iowa debate" or the other early states "because these are the states that are voting," claiming "you can't go and hide when it comes to a debate in the state that's voting."
"I would highly expect that he would want to show up for Iowans, I would expect Iowans would be highly offended if he didn't, and so, he needs to show up for the debate stage," Haley continued, who then also added "the same way I need to show up for a debate stage in South Carolina, in New Hampshire, in Iowa as well."
JUST NOW: Nikki Haley says it would be “highly” offensive to skip the Iowa debate: “I don’t think you get a pass when it comes to an Iowa debate.”
— DeSantis War Room 🐊 (@DeSantisWarRoom) December 12, 2023
“You can’t go and hide when it comes to a debate in the state that’s voting.”
Haley is refusing to commit to the debate in Iowa on… pic.twitter.com/4ORoCM5Lyi
Nikki Haley, 4 days ago: It’s “arrogant” to not debate in Iowa
— DeSantis War Room 🐊 (@DeSantisWarRoom) December 13, 2023
“You can’t have an election and not appear on a debate stage in front of the people who are going to be voting”
And yet, Haley has so far refused to commit to CNN's debate on Jan. 10 in Iowa — the only Iowa debate… pic.twitter.com/6XGGbghARY
Beyond his campaign using Haley's own words to call her out, and highlighting how Iowa conservative leaders feel slighted, DeSantis himself has also spoken up.
Not only did he remind he's committed to the debate, DeSantis mentioned "if you’re not willing to debate in Iowa on the eve of the caucus, that shows the voters a lot about you and your willingness to engage," speaking about both Haley and Trump. He also pledged to continue to "show up and answer people's questions," something he's been doing, "all the way until caucus night."
"But the notion that you just don't show up and you don't answer questions, you're not willing to debate, that's going to be meaningful to a lot of voters, because ultimately it's about them and it's about them being able to make the best decision about who they want to see as the candidate going forward for the Republican Party," DeSantis continued, speaking once more to those candidates who won't make committments.
DeSantis says he is committed to CNN's debate on January 10 in Iowa — the only Iowa debate scheduled.
— DeSantis War Room 🐊 (@DeSantisWarRoom) December 13, 2023
“If you’re not willing to debate in Iowa on the eve of the caucus, that shows the voters a lot about you and your willingness to engage.”
Nikki Haley has so far refused to… pic.twitter.com/dAJALafzrV
DeSantis has long had an interest in doing the debates. He's challenged Trump to debate one-on-one, as well as participated in "The Great Red vs. Blue State Debate" on Fox News with California Gov. Gavin Newsom (D).
It's been a momentous week for both DeSantis and Haley. On Tuesday, DeSantis participated in a CNN town hall, for which he certainly received praise. Haley, meanwhile, earned the endorsement of New Hampshire Gov. Chris Sununu, with his state holding the first primary in the country on January 23.
Among those calling for Haley to debate DeSantis include Chris Queen at our sister site of PJ Media, in his piece from Wednesday, "Nikki Haley May Put the Next GOP Debate in Jeopardy."
"It's a shame that she won't commit to debating DeSantis; it could easily be the best and most informative debate yet," he wrote to conclude his piece. "Has it not dawned on Haley that Trump hasn't taken part in any GOP debates? Why is she tilting at this windmill? Could it be that there are other reasons why Haley doesn't want to commit to this debate? She has a habit of avoiding tough questions and challenges to her record," he also pointed out earlier in his piece.
“Could it be that there are other reasons why Haley doesn't want to commit to this debate? She has a habit of avoiding tough questions and challenges to her record.”
— DeSantis War Room 🐊 (@DeSantisWarRoom) December 13, 2023
“...which begs the question of whether she's scared to face DeSantis one-on-one.” 👀https://t.co/E80KdxNNly
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