DeSantis, Haley, Ramaswamy gear up for Republican debate
- So far, DeSantis, Haley and Ramaswamy will be participating in the debate
- Gov. Chris Christie is confident he will qualify for the debate
- DeSantis and Haley appear to be the front-runners behind Trump
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(NewsNation) — The Republican presidential candidates are gearing up for their fourth debate in what could be their last chance to speak to voters ahead of the crucial Iowa caucuses just one month away.
So far, Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis, former South Carolina Gov. Nikki Haley and businessman Vivek Ramaswamy are set to appear on the debate stage.
Former New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie is confident he will make it to the debate stage, but whether or not he has met the RNC debate qualifications will be seen at 8 p.m. ET Monday.
Christie has been the most vocal critic of former President Donald Trump throughout these debates.
Trump, who maintains a sizable lead over the party, will not participate in the debate. Instead, he will be attending a private fundraiser in Florida. He was most recently seen campaigning in Iowa over the weekend.
North Dakota Gov. Doug Burgum will not participate after announcing he is suspending his 2024 campaign. Burgum had been critical of the RNC debate rules, saying they were “taking the power of democracy away from voters” in Iowa and New Hampshire.
More than half of Republican caucus voters in Iowa said if the Republican caucuses were held today, Trump would be their first choice, according to the latest Iowa State University survey. Eighteen percent chose DeSantis, and 12% said Haley.
Some Iowa polling had DeSantis and Haley tied as Haley won over voters in recent debates.
Meanwhile, DeSantis visited all 99 counties in Iowa and is fresh off his debate with California Democratic Gov. Gavin Newsom.
Though DeSantis and Haley appear to be the clear front-runners behind Trump, Ramaswamy remains an important wild card in the Republican primaries.
“The one problem in saying that week, okay, this is maybe between DeSantis and Haley to see who can come out on top along with people that are behind Trump, is that you got Ramaswamy in the mix,” said Timothy Hagle, a political science professor at the University of Iowa. “He has a tendency, as we’ve seen in the last debates, to sort of chirp up. And he and Haley don’t seem to get along at all.”
Ramaswamy will be in Alabama Tuesday for a debate eve rally with the Alabama Republican Party.
