Elections

Republican Primary Debate in Iowa: Live Updates

Florida governor Ron DeSantis and former South Carolina governor Nikki Haley at the Republican debate hosted by CNN at Drake University in Des Moines, Iowa, January 10, 2024. (Mike Segar/Reuters)
Ron DeSantis and Nikki Haley face off Wednesday night for the final GOP primary debate before the Iowa caucuses. For the first time, they won’t be sharing the stage with Chris Christie (who just dropped out) and Vivek Ramaswamy. Donald Trump, as with past debates, is not participating. The event in Des Moines is hosted by CNN. Follow along for live updates and analysis from the NR team:
Dan McLaughlin

Missed opportunity so far: nobody has attacked the moderators.

Ramesh Ponnuru

DeSantis: We can decouple our economy from China’s without paying a high price if we focus on the key areas where it needs to happen–i.e., if we mostly don’t decouple.

Noah Rothman

No meaningful constituency is basing their vote on the candidates’ respective donors.

Jim Geraghty

Oh, for heaven’s sake, ENOUGH WITH THE DESANTISLIES.COM plugging!

Luther Ray Abel

DeSantis: “We need more sea power . . . I’m a Navy guy.”

I couldn’t agree more. Recovering Americans’ trust in the military is crucial.

Dominic Pino

“Our farmers deserve better,” Haley says of U.S. trade policy. Will either candidate promise to end the “trade war” started under Trump and continued under Biden that is in large part responsible for closing off export markets for U.S. farmers?

Dan McLaughlin

This feels like a debate over who is the best classical liberal in Germany in 1932 or Russia in 1916.

Jeffrey Blehar

An observation: It is difficult to tell whether Haley and DeSantis really hate one another, or more accurately hate this campaign and life itself. Both seem ill-tempered in general, perhaps at the futility of it all.

Jim Geraghty

Dominic, I’ve seen yard signs here in Iowa say “Reynolds endorsed,” and DeSantis mentions it at every campaign stop and in just about every campaign ad. So I don’t think too many Iowans are unaware of the fact that governor Reynolds endorsed him.

Ramesh Ponnuru

You’d think DeSantis would respond to the Haley attack over campaign spending by saying, It’s going to pay off when I beat you in Iowa.

NR Staff comprises members of the National Review editorial and operational teams.
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