CNN and ABC News had planned to host back-to-back Republican primary debates in New Hampshire this week, but they have been canceled after former South Carolina Governor Nikki Haley declined another faceoff with Florida Governor Ron DeSantis. Haley is now signaling that she will only debate former President Donald Trump, leaving DeSantis as the only confirmed participant at both events.
As Valuetainment previously reported, former President Trump handily won the Iowa Caucuses with 51 percent support. Meanwhile, Haley largely failed to live up to media expectations, placing third behind DeSantis with just 19 percent—but she still confidently declared that she had narrowed the race to a two-man content between herself and Trump.
Ahead of the caucuses, Haley and DeSantis appeared at a debate in Des Moines hosted by CNN, marking the first debate of the election cycle not organized by the Republican National Committee. Though the debate did little to move the needle in either direction, polls after the event showed that a majority of viewers thought DeSantis won.
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In light of all these factors, Haley announced that she will not be participating in the upcoming debate hosted by ABC News at Saint Anselm College.
“We’ve had five great debates in this campaign. Unfortunately, Donald Trump has ducked all of them,” Haley said in a statement while campaigning in New Hampshire on Tuesday. “He has nowhere left to hide. The next debate I do will either be with Donald Trump or with Joe Biden. I look forward to it.”
We’ve had five great debates in this campaign. Unfortunately, Donald Trump has ducked all of them. He has nowhere left to hide. The next debate I do will either be with Donald Trump or with Joe Biden. I look forward to it.
— Nikki Haley (@NikkiHaley) January 16, 2024
ABC News subsequently canceled the event, citing a lack of candidate participation.
“Our intent was to host a debate coming out of the Iowa caucuses, but we always knew that would be contingent on the candidates and the outcome of the race,” ABC News spokesperson Van Scott said in a statement. “As a result, while our robust election coverage will continue, ABC News and WMUR-TV will not be moving forward with Thursday’s Republican presidential primary debate in New Hampshire.”
Related: Ron DeSantis and Nikki Haley Clash at the CNN Primary Debate
Invitations had also been sent to DeSantis, who agreed to attend, Trump, who declined, and former New Jersey Governor Chris Christie, who dropped out of the race last week.
Haley’s decision to avoid the debate also casts doubt on CNN’s event at New England College on Sunday. DeSantis, now the sole participant in that event, accused the former governor of being afraid of a rematch so soon after Iowa.
“Nikki Haley is afraid to debate because she doesn’t want to answer the tough questions such as how she got rich off Boeing after giving them millions in taxpayer handouts as governor of South Carolina,” DeSantis said in an X post. “The reality is that she is not running for the nomination, she’s running to be Trump’s VP.”
“I won’t snub New Hampshire voters like both Nikki Haley and Donald Trump, and plan to honor my commitments. I look forward to debating two empty podiums in the Granite State this week.”
Nikki Haley is afraid to debate because she doesn’t want to answer the tough questions such as how she got rich off Boeing after giving them millions in taxpayer handouts as governor of South Carolina.
The reality is that she is not running for the nomination, she’s running to…
— Ron DeSantis (@RonDeSantis) January 16, 2024
The New Hampshire primaries will be held on Tuesday, January 23rd.
Connor Walcott is a staff writer covering politics, culture, and business for Valuetainment.com. Follow Connor on X (Twitter).
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