1 of 2 | Former U.S. ambassador Nikki Haley and Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis will be the only two participants in Wednesday’s Republican primary debate, airing on CNN from Des Moines, Iowa. File Photo by Cristobal Herrera-Ulashkevich/EPA-EFE
Jan. 10 (UPI) — Nikki Haley and Ron DeSantis are in Des Moines, Iowa, Wednesday in the first one-on-one Republican debate in the election cycle. It will be the final debate before Iowa’s first-in-the-nation caucus on Monday.
The fifth primary debate is being held at Sheslow Auditorium at Drake University beginning at 9 p.m. EST. It is scheduled for two hours and will air on CNN and livestream on Max, CNN.com and the CNN app for paid subscribers.
CNN anchors Jake Tapper and Dana Bash will moderate the debate.
Wednesday’s debate will feature the smallest number of participants yet, giving Haley and DeSantis the stage to make their final push for support at the Iowa Caucus five days later.
Former U.N. ambassador Haley, Florida Gov. DeSantis and former President Donald Trump are the only three candidates from the once-crowded field to meet the polling requirements for Wednesday’s debate. Trump will appear on a Fox News town hall from Iowa, skipping a Republican debate for the fifth time.
Candidates needed at least 10% support on three national polls or Iowa polls of people likely to participate in the Republican caucus to meet eligibility requirements.
In previous debates, Haley and DeSantis have both been critical of Trump’s unwillingness to participate. Trump said last summer that he did not intend to participate and went on the balk at the idea that he needed to. Instead, he suggested that the other candidates rally behind him to unseat President Joe Biden in the November presidential election.
The New Hampshire primary quickly follows Iowa, taking place on Jan. 23. The sixth Republican debate, also hosted by CNN, will take place in Goffstown, N.H., on Jan. 21. Candidates have until Tuesday to meet the requirements to participate in that debate.
Subscribe now to keep reading and get access to the full archive.