Key events
Can Haley convince skeptical Republicans?
Lauren Gambino
Nikki Haley is hoping to build on her campaign’s momentum after a series of strong debate performances. In recent weeks, she has closed in on DeSantis, pulling ahead of him in New Hampshire, while winning over Wall Street donors and racking up endorsements from anti-Trump Republicans, including Americans for Prosperity Action, the political network founded by conservative billionaires Charles and David Koch.
“The moment we face requires a tested leader with the governing judgment and policy experience to pull our nation back from the brink,” Emily Seidel, senior adviser to Americans for Prosperity Action, the political arm of the Koch network, wrote in a memo first reported by the New York Times. “Nikki Haley is that leader.”
All this means she will likely be in DeSantis’ crosshairs this evening, as the two battle it out for top Trump alternative. But then again, the former president remains the frontrunner by 40 percentage points, per the national Monmouth University poll released on Wednesday – meaning that everyone on stage has a steep hill to climb as the primaries kick off.
How to watch the debate
Wednesday’s debate begins at 8pm ET and will run for approximately two hours.
The debate will stream on NewsNation, an upstart cable news outlet that started in 2021. The event will also be broadcast live on the CW network in the eastern half of the US, and tape-delayed in the west.
The moderators are Elizabeth Vargas, a NewNation anchor and former ABC personality; Megyn Kelly, host of The Megyn Kelly Show on SiriusXM; and Eliana Johnson, editor-in-chief of the Washington Free Beacon, a conservative news site.
Haley, DeSantis, Christie and Ramaswamy set for fourth Republican debate
Four Republicans candidates are set to take the debate stage in Alabama.
Just a month and a half ahead of the Iowa caucuses, former UN ambassador Nikki Haley, Florida governor Ron DeSantis, former New Jersey governor Chris Christie and tech entrepreneur Vivek Ramaswamy will all seek to position themselves as the top alternative to Donald Trump. The former president, who is leading in polls by a strong margin, will once again not be participating.
Haley will be a candidate to watch. Having won over key donors, she is coming out ahead of DeSantis in some key polls. DeSantis, meanwhile, will have to assuage donors and show voters that he still has a fighting chance. None of the candidates, however, are particularly popular – a Washington Post analysis found, in fact, that no previous primary debate had centered on such unpopular candidates.
Follow along for live coverage and analysis.
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