Wednesday marked the first head-to-head debate of the 2024 campaign between Republican contenders Nikki Haley and Ron DeSantis. Both candidates sought to deliver a decisive blow that could position them as the primary challenger to Donald Trump. The debate, hosted by CNN, came just five days before the Iowa caucuses and represented a crucial opportunity for both candidates to shift the campaign dynamics.
Trump, the favorite to win his third consecutive GOP nomination, continued to defy political norms by boycotting the event. Instead, he appeared in a Washington, DC, appeals court to hear his lawyers argue for absolute presidential immunity over his attempts to overturn the 2020 election. This case highlighted the stakes of the 2024 election and shed light on Trump’s perception of an unconstrained presidency.
Despite Trump’s dominance, the only way he could face a real challenge in the primary is if the Republican opposition unites behind a single candidate. Haley has managed to narrow the gap with Trump in New Hampshire to single digits, according to a recent CNN poll. However, Trump still holds a significant lead in the state’s primary, which is just a week after Iowa.
Both Haley and DeSantis have presented distinctive visions for the party’s future and coherent platforms for a presidency. DeSantis has promised a more effective, disciplined form of Trump’s right-wing populism, while Haley is advocating for a return to more traditional pre-Trump conservatism.
However, neither candidate has managed to effectively leverage Trump’s 91 criminal charges and his assault on American democracy on January 6, 2021, without alienating GOP voters who have been sympathetic to him. This failure is indicative of a party still under Trump’s influence and the fact that many grassroots conservatives believe his false claims of voter fraud in 2020.
Wednesday’s debate was a crucial moment for both Haley and DeSantis, with their political careers hanging in the balance. Haley is riding a wave of momentum, seeking a strong showing to propel her into the New Hampshire primary. DeSantis, on the other hand, has faced perceptions of awkwardness on the campaign trail and is likely to focus on Iowa to avoid the fate of other Florida politicians who have faltered under Trump’s onslaught.
Despite the intense competition, the evidence so far suggests that many Republican voters are not ready to move on from Trump. This reality underscores the ex-president’s confidence that he can continue to dodge debates with his rivals.