DeSantis sharpens attacks on Haley as Iowa caucuses near

Ron DeSantis launched some of his sharpest attacks yet against former United Nations Ambassador Nikki Haley, one of his chief rivals in the 2024 Republican presidential race, during a heated one-on-one debate on Wednesday that stood as one of the Florida governor’s final opportunities to make his case to voters ahead of Monday’s Iowa caucuses.

The two-hour exchange, hosted by CNN at Drake University in Des Moines, Iowa, was the first to pit DeSantis solely against Haley, who after months of flagging poll numbers has emerged as a real threat to DeSantis’ presidential ambitions.

Throughout the debate, DeSantis sought to cast Haley as an instrument of corporate political donors who lacked the conviction to pursue the kind of hard-lined conservative agenda that he has implemented in Florida. Harkening back to his November debate against California’s Democratic Gov. Gavin Newsom, DeSantis described Haley as not only insufficiently rightwing, but a firm liberal.

“Man, Nikki Haley gives him a run for his money,” DeSantis said. “And she may be even more liberal than Gavin Newsom is.”

Haley punched back. She repeatedly accused DeSantis of misrepresenting her record — both as U.N. ambassador and South Carolina governor — and went on offense, bringing up the astronomically high cost of property insurance and rapidly rising cost of living in Florida.

She also hit DeSantis on his votes as a U.S. congressman, noting that he voted in 2018 to suspend the national debt ceiling.

“He spent more time trying to lie about me than telling the truth about himself,” Haley said.

DeSantis painted himself as a “leader” who had stood up for the issues most important to ordinary Americans. He accused Haley of being a “globalist” who was more interested in the well-being of foreigners than in preserving the security and economic prosperity of the United States.

In one particularly heated exchange, DeSantis alleged — without evidence — that Haley would cut Social Security in order to “pay the pensions of Ukrainian bureaucrats.” The remark drew a furious response from Haley.

“You’re so desperate, Ron,” she said. “You’re just so desperate.”

The debate was a high-stakes one for both Haley and DeSantis. But it carries particular weight for the Florida governor, who has placed a hefty political bet on notching a strong performance in Monday’s caucuses as part of his strategy for dethroning former President Donald Trump, the current frontrunner for the GOP’s 2024 presidential nomination.

His campaign and an allied super PAC — Never Back Down — have spent millions of dollars on organizing efforts and advertising in the Hawkeye State, and DeSantis frequently boasts that he has visited all of Iowa’s 99 counties during his nearly eight months on the campaign trail.

Yet polling shows him running well behind Trump, while Haley has begun to close the gap with DeSantis. A Des Moines Register/NBC News/Mediacom poll conducted in early December found Trump with 51% support in Iowa, while DeSantis and Haley came in at 19% and 16%, respectively.

In New Hampshire, which holds its primary on Jan. 23, Haley is polling far ahead of DeSantis. Another candidate, former New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie, suspended his campaign earlier Wednesday.

While Wednesday night’s debate played out as a showdown between Haley and DeSantis, the conversation notably paid little attention to Trump. Trump qualified for the debate, but declined to participate, opting instead to sit for a televised town hall on Fox News.

Asked at one point whether she agreed with a previous comment from DeSantis that Trump is not a “pro-life” politician, Haley demurred.

“You need to have him on this debate stage and ask him for yourself,” she said.

DeSantis took the opportunity to criticize Haley on the issue of abortion, accusing her of being “confused” on the issue. Still, he said, he agreed with her on one point.

“At the end of the day, I do agree with her on this: Donald Trump should be on this stage.”

Trump didn’t go entirely unscathed in the debate. Asked at one point about the former president’s long list of legal entanglements – Trump is facing numerous civil suits and felonies, including charges related to his efforts to overturn the results of the 2020 presidential election — DeSantis warned voters that nominating Trump would mean an election cycle marked by chaos and drama.

He also suggested that Trump is running for president in order to avoid prosecution for alleged wrongdoing.

“I’m not running for my issues,” DeSantis said,” I’m running for your issues.”

This story was originally published January 10, 2024 at 8:20 PM with the headline "DeSantis sharpens attacks on Haley as Iowa caucuses near."