After weeks spent locked in a bitter battle for second place, former South Carolina Gov. Nikki Haley and Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis will finally get the chance to grill each other in person over the Israel-Hamas war, Ukraine’s war with Russia and China’s growing global influence during Wednesday’s third primary debate in Miami.
The two have been previewing the attack lines they might deliver on the debate stage in interviews, stump speeches and ads as they seek to distinguish themselves as the Republican candidate who would be the best alternative to former President Donald Trump. DeSantis has accused Haley of having wanted to “roll out the red carpet” to China as governor in an effort to undercut her foreign policy bona fides, while Haley has painted the Florida governor’s increased attention on her as the desperate acts of a stalling campaign.
As the window to catch up to Trump closes, DeSantis and Haley have ratcheted up the tone and frequency of their attacks on one another. Wednesday’s event offers the pair, and the rest of the rapidly shrinking GOP field, one of their last chances to make their case at primetime before caucuses and primaries begin early next year.
The event, hosted by NBC News, Salem Radio Network and the Republican Jewish Coalition, will be the first time the remaining qualifying candidates get the chance to face off since Hamas’ deadly terror attack on October 7 and Israel’s retaliatory response. Foreign policy – and how Republican candidates view America’s role in the world – is expected to be a key focus of the debate.
That will likely benefit Haley, who has framed much of her campaign around the need for America to have a robust foreign policy at a time when the isolationist wing of the GOP has grown. The debate could also be a chance for the former United Nations ambassador, whose rise has been attributed in part to strong performances in the first two debates, to build on the momentum that has materialized in the form of new donors and bigger crowds.
“Nikki has gone into every debate telling voters exactly where she stands on supporting Israel, defeating Vladimir Putin, and standing up to China,” Haley campaign spokesperson Olivia Perez-Cubas said in a statement. “She is authentic and unapologetic.”
But the debate is also a chance for DeSantis to paint Haley as out of touch with a party that has shifted away from the neoconservatism of the Bush administration.
“Compare my record and then think about her record,” DeSantis said at a campaign event in Grimes, Iowa, on Friday night. “… Has she dug in when it’s tough and fought and won and delivered? No, it’s just not the way it is. It’s just a different flavor of leader.”
Hal Lambert, a GOP megadonor backing DeSantis, said that the Florida governor has argued that some politicians are more focused with the security of other countries’ borders than America’s borders.
“If you want to contrast with, say, Haley, I think her inclination is to immediately go as aggressive as possible from a war posture,” he said. “Gov. DeSantis is much more restrained.”
