While former President Donald Trump was sitting down with Fox News for a town hall event Wednesday night, the rest of the GOP field was across town in Des Moines at a GOP debate hosted by CNN.
Here are all the details on the fifth Republican debate of this cycle including the live stream, how to watch, and which candidates will be on the stage.
CNN Iowa Republican Primary Debate
Date: Wednesday, January 10, 2024
Full Video: Watch Below
Time: 9:00 pm ET
Location: Drake University in Des Moines, Iowa
Sponsors: CNN
Moderators: Jake Tapper and Dana Bash
Candidates: Ron DeSantis, Nikki Haley (Trump qualified but is not attending)
Qualifying Standards:
• 10% or above support in multiple polls
Full Video – CNN Republican Debate (Jan. 10)
Watch the full debate video below courtesy of YouTube:
Alternate Video Link: Rumble
Once again, as with all previous debates, Trump has chosen not to attend the event. The result will be a debate with less impact as the front-runner won’t be on the stage.
With tonight’s debate stage clear of distractions like Chris Christie’s anti-Trump tirades and Vivek Ramaswamy’s endless barrages against Nikki Haley, will either of the two invited candidates be able to make a dent in Trump’s lead?
According to FiveThirtyEight, this is the last chance for Haley or DeSantis to strike any meaningful blow against Trump, but the odds remain stacked against them:
Could the fifth time be the charm? The sixth? Or perhaps the seventh? After four primary debates did nothing to diminish former President Donald Trump’s advantage in the Republican nomination race, his GOP opponents hope something will give after one or more of the three primary debates happening in January.
Over the next two weeks, Republican presidential candidates will participate in one debate in Iowa and two in New Hampshire. Each gathering looks likely to have at most three contenders on stage, meaning these events will be more intimate than any so far this cycle. That could present candidates with clearer opportunities to sway viewers, and to make headlines as attention peaks just ahead of the two leadoff contests in the GOP primary calendar.
As noted, Christie will likely be back on the stage next week in New Hampshire after the Iowa caucuses which could create a new wildcard environment heading into the Granite State primary.
However, with a focus currently on Iowa, will this debate matter? In a sense, Haley and DeSantis are fighting to “win” a strong showing in Iowa. That doesn’t mean outright beating Trump, but they’d like to. What “winning” means is not getting wiped out or coming in third before heading into a state where Trump’s support seems to be weaker. One of them is trying to emerge as the anti-Trump option and starting a stride in Iowa would help.
Unfortunately for Haley, who insulted Iowa voters last week with a comment about New Hampshire “correcting” the vote, DeSantis remains the stronger of the two. Polls have shown a tightening race for second, with both candidates running even, but it seems like DeSantis should beat out Haley through organization alone.
That result may be meaningless for DeSantis if he can’t go on to place better than third in New Hampshire. In some polls, he’s back in fourth or fifth, foreshadowing a potentially devastating night for the Sunshine State governor in the dark, cold north.
Tune in live at 9 pm ET on CNN to watch the Haley-DeSantis battle or flip over to Fox for Trump’s town hall. Follow the complete 2024 Republican debate schedule for updates on the next several debates before the New Hampshire primary.
