Haley takes fire as she jockeys for second place

Candidates fail to find a breakout moment at Miami forum; ‘You’re just scum,’ Nikki Haley tells Vivek Ramaswamy.

Nikki Haley receives a touchup during a break in the Republican debate. Picture: AFP

Former South Carolina governor Nikki Haley, who has shown momentum in recent weeks, came under sustained attack in Wednesday’s Republican presidential primary debate as she competes with Florida Governor Ron DeSantis to be the leading alternative to former US president Donald Trump.

She also delivered several of her own shots at Mr DeSantis, who tried to float above the fray, but engaged with her on China, energy policy and a handful of other issues. A confrontation between the two had been brewing, amplified by a closely watched poll that recently showed Ms Haley and Mr DeSantis tied for second in Iowa, where nomination balloting starts January 15.

But second place may not be worth much given Mr Trump’s commanding lead in the polls. After an opening question that asked candidates to make a case against Mr Trump, who skipped the event, the debate centred on testy exchanges between those on stage.

“You’re just scum,” Haley said at one point to biotech entrepreneur Vivek Ramaswamy, after he said her daughter had used TikTok, amid a discussion of banning the widely popular Chinese app.

Here are key takeaways from the debate, moderated by Lester Holt and Kristen Welker of NBC News and Hugh Hewitt of the Salem Radio Network

Ms Haley was a top target throughout the evening as others tried to slow her momentum. She took heat over her foreign-policy positions, attempts to spur Chinese investment in her home state and earnings from Boeing and other corporate boardships.

In relation to China, Ms Haley threw a punch at Mr DeSantis as she called for an end to all formal trade relations “until they stop murdering Americans from fentanyl, something Ron has yet to say that he’s going to do”.

Mr DeSantis responded by saying Ms Haley had welcomed China into South Carolina, “gave them land near a military base” and “wrote the Chinese ambassador a love letter saying what a great friend they were”. Ms Haley noted a Florida economic development arm had sought to attract Chinese investment.

Ms Haley hit Mr DeSantis again by calling him “liberal” when it comes to environmental matters. “Just own it, if that’s the case,” she said. “But don’t keep saying that you are something that you’re not.” Mr DeSantis in response alluded to how Floridians have for years resisted oil drilling and protecting the state’s environment.

The candidates were largely aligned on support for Israel in its war with Hamas. But divisions emerged on continued funding for Ukraine.

“America can never be so arrogant to think we don’t need friends,” Ms Haley said, continuing to advocate for Ukraine. Russia and China, she said, are “salivating” over waning US support.

Mr DeSantis questioned the level of aid being proposed and said European nations need to “step up” and give more. Mr Ramaswamy went further, saying “Ukraine is not a paragon of democracy” and that he was “absolutely unpersuaded” by the call for more money.

Ms Haley and Mr DeSantis, who were positioned at the centre of the stage, were flanked by Mr Ramaswamy, South Carolina senator Tim Scott and former New Jersey governor Chris Christie.

Senator Scott, who has struggled to stand out in previous debates, was slightly more assertive, taking advantage of a smaller field. But he also declined at times to give direct answers and likely did little to help himself. Mr Christie also didn’t find a breakout moment.

Mr Ramaswamy gained attention after the first debate, but has failed to build momentum. Asked about the front-runner, he instead attacked the media and Republican National Committee Chairwoman Ronna McDaniel. “We have become the party of losers,” he said.

Mr Ramaswamy also talked about avoiding mistakes of the “neocon establishment”, alluding to a growing isolationism in the GOP. He took a shot at both Ms Haley and DeSantis asking, “Do you want a leader from a different generation who is going to put this country first or do you want Dick Cheney in 3-inch heels, in which case we’ve got two of them on stage now?” Ms Haley later corrected Mr Ramaswamy: “They’re 5-inch heels and I don’t wear them unless you can run in them.”

The debate played out against a backdrop of some big Democratic wins in elections a day earlier that left some Republicans questioning whether Mr Biden will be as easy to defeat in 2024 as they have thought. Abortion played heavily in those elections.

Ms Haley and Mr DeSantis tried to strike a balance, at least rhetorically, on the issue.

“I stand for a culture of life,” Mr DeSantis said, while adding he understood some states would differ in their policies. The governor, who earlier this year signed a 6-week ban, said anti-abortion advocates were caught “flat-footed” on referendums, such as one Ohio voters approved on Tuesday establishing a right to abortion.

Ms Haley called herself “unapologetically pro-life”, but also said she didn’t fault people for having a different view. “Let’s find consensus,” she said. “We don’t need to divide America over this issue any more.”

Senator Scott challenged Ms Haley and Mr DeSantis to “join me in a 15-week limit” at the national level. Ms Haley responded that she “would support anything that would pass because that would save more babies”, but wouldn’t commit to a specific limit.

As his challengers debated, Mr Trump spoke to supporters at a rally in nearby Hialeah as he continued to run out the clock on a narrowing field of rivals struggling to dent his massive lead.

The former president flexed his status in the race and mocked the low ratings for the previous debate. “Every time I’m indicted I consider it a great badge of honour because I’m being indicted for you,” he said, referring to his legal problems.

But even as many analysts view him as the eventual nominee, politics can take unknown turns. For 77-year-old Mr Trump, that could be a conviction in one of those cases or health reasons.

Candidates were each given a chance to make the case why they, not Mr Trump, should take the nomination. Mr DeSantis said the former president is a “a lot different guy than he was in 2016” and said he failed to complete the border wall and added to soaring federal spending.

Ms Haley suggested Mr Trump has gotten “weak in the knees” when it comes to US involvement abroad. “I don’t think he’s the right president now,” she said, adding, “He put us $8 trillion in debt.” Mr Christie said the party will fail if it nominates Mr Trump. “Anybody who is going to be spending the next year and a half of their life focusing on keeping themselves out of jail in courtrooms cannot lead this party or this county,” he said.

Alyssa Lukpat contributed to this article

The Wall Street Journal