OAN’s James Meyers
3:39 PM – Tuesday, December 12, 2023
The status of the next scheduled GOP debate in Iowa is up in the air.
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Former South Carolina Governor Nikki Haley (R-S.C.) has not committed to taking part at the final GOP debate hosted by CNN, causing the status of whether or not it will take place to be a mystery.
Florida Governor Ron DeSantis (R-Fla.) is the only candidate who has committed to appearing on the debate stage so far, while entrepreneur Vivek Ramaswamy and former New Jersey Governor Chris Christie (R-N.J.) have not received enough support to qualify.
Haley’s decision to not commit comes after she was at the forefront of attacks during the last debate in Alabama last week.
Haley’s spokeswoman Olivia Perez-Cubas said she would be “debating in Iowa,” but made no specific commitments.
“Since the RNC pulled out of the debates, many new offers have come in. We look forward to debating in Iowa and continuing to show voters why Nikki is the best candidate to retire Joe Biden and save our country. That debate should include Donald Trump,” Perez-Cubas said.
The former U.N. ambassador also called on Trump to join her on the debate stage.
“When it comes to President Trump as well, I think he’s going to have to get on a debate stage here in Iowa because you’re fighting for Iowans’ votes. I think he’s got to sit there and do the groundwork,” Haley told a local Iowa TV station. “You can’t have an election and not appear on a debate stage in front of the people who are going to be voting for you,” she added.
CNN is requiring candidates who wish to participate to show three national polls or Iowa polls with the candidate at 10% support or higher.
Meanwhile, Christie has a slim chance of meeting the requirement, and Ramaswamy has come in at 5% support for an Iowa poll done by NBC News and the Des Moines Register, according to Axios.
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