Former U.N. Ambassador Nikki Haley on Friday agreed to participate in a Republican presidential debate hosted by CNN in Iowa next month, and called on former President Donald Trump to participate.
Trump, the current clear front-runner for the 2024 GOP presidential nomination, has skipped each of the four debates this year. He has cited his significant lead over his competitors as a reason for not participating.
Haley has been battling with Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis for second place behind Trump.
"The first four debates have been great for our campaign and for voters, and we look forward to the fifth in Iowa," Haley said in a statement, Axios reported. "As the debate stage continues to shrink, it’s getting harder for Donald Trump to hide."
Trump hasn't exactly hidden. He has opted to appear at rallies and granted select interviews.
"There's a CNN debate? Had no idea," Trump spokesperson Steven Cheung told Axios earlier this week.
The Iowa debate appeared to be in jeopardy before Haley's announcement because DeSantis had been the only Republican candidate to commit to the Jan. 15 event.
DeSantis predicted that he will win the Iowa caucuses, which will kick off the GOP primary season.
Former New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie and entrepreneur Vivek Ramaswamy, who have participated in the previous debates, are not expected to qualify.
CNN has said a candidate must poll at 10% or higher in three national or Iowa polls to qualify for the debate, and that at least one poll must be from Iowa.
CNN will host the debate, the first one this cycle not sponsored by the Republican National Committee, on Jan. 10 at Drake University in Des Moines, Iowa.
CNN also plans to host a second debate, scheduled for Jan. 21 at St. Anselm College in Goffstown, New Hampshire. That state's primary is Jan. 23.
The latest NBC News/Des Moines Register/Mediacom poll found that a majority of likely Iowa Republican caucusgoers now support Trump.
Five weeks before the first GOP presidential nominating contest, Trump earned 51% first-choice support from likely Iowa caucusgoers, according to the survey.
Charlie McCarthy ✉
Charlie McCarthy, a writer/editor at Newsmax, has nearly 40 years of experience covering news, sports, and politics.
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