SALEM, New Hampshire — A day after placing third in the Iowa caucuses, former South Carolina Gov. Nikki Haley said she won’t join future debates unless former President Donald Trump is on the stage.
That means Ms. Haley, who was Mr. Trump’s ambassador to the United Nations, won’t face Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis in two debates planned for Thursday and Sunday in New Hampshire ahead of the Jan. 23 primary. She took a lashing from Mr. DeSantis in the final Iowa debate, with many declaring him the winner in that one-on-one.
There won’t be a rematch.
“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,” Ms. Haley said in a statement.
Mr. Trump hasn’t participated in any of the debates and isn’t likely to do so with a lead over Ms. Haley and Mr. DeSantis that many analysts say sets him up for a sweep to the GOP nomination.
Mr. DeSantis, 45, said he plans to be on the debate stage with or without Ms. Haley, whom he narrowly beat for second place in the Iowa caucuses Monday.
But with neither Ms. Haley nor Mr. Trump interested in partivipating, ABC News canceled the debate later Tuesday.
“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.
Despite her third-place finish, Ms. Haley framed the race as her against the former president.
While she narrowly placed behind Mr. DeSantis, her position is more favorable in New Hampshire, where one recent poll showed her closing in on Mr. Trump.
The RealClearPolitics polling average in New Hampshire shows Ms. Haley trailing Mr. Trump by 14 points, a much narrower margin than in Iowa, where she lost to him by more than 30 points.
Mr. Trump won more than 50% of the vote in Iowa while Ms. Haley finished with just over 19%. In New Hampshire, Ms. Haley polls at nearly 30% on average compared to Mr. Trump’s 43% average.
Mr. DeSantis, whose second-place finish in Iowa gave his campaign a lifeline, is weaker in New Hampshire, polling at around 7%.
Ms. Haley on Monday declared that her Iowa finish defied expectations, “and it’s now a two-person race” with Mr. Trump.
Mr. DeSantis, in a statement, said Ms. Haley is afraid to debate him and she’s running to be Mr. Trump’s vice president.
“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,” he said.
The race is officially reduced to three people.
Biotech tycoon Vivek Ramaswamy dropped out Monday after finishing with under 8% of the vote in Iowa. Former Arkansas Gov. Asa Hutchinson quit Tuesday.
• Susan Ferrechio can be reached at sferrechio@washingtontimes.com.
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