It looks like there will be no GOP Presidential debate before the New Hampshire primary. C-N-N cancelled Sunday’s planned event because only Ron DeSantis he would take part. That leaves the cable network’s Iowa telecast and the December debate in Tuscaloosa as maybe the last chance Republican voters hear from the candidates. Doctor A.J. Bauer teaches political communication at the University of Alabama. He doubts the New Hampshire debate would have mattered…
“Is it possible that Nikki Haley comes in second in New Hampshire? Yes, but all of the delegates will go to Trump when he inevitably wins New Hampshire,” he said. “And so unless want Nikki Haley or DeSantis wins New Hampshire, Trump is the prohibitive nominee, he has been all along.”
DeSantis won’t ignore New Hampshire completely over the coming days, but he’s reallocating the majority of his staff to South Carolina, the home state of rival Nikki Haley, with its primary in just over a month. Haley stated that she would not participate in any more Presidential debate unless Joe Biden or Donald Trump took part. A.J. Bauer says Ron DeSantis is skipping New Hampshire for South Carolina and that sends a message…
“He thinks that he has the best shot of beating Trump and Haley in Haley's home state where Trump already leads both Haley and DeSantis in the polls. So this is all just an exercise in keeping their donors happy and making sure that they keep their names in the spotlight,” he said.
Bauer took part in APR’s nationally broadcast debate stories for NPR. These features aired on “All Things Considered” and “Weekend Edition Sunday.” Go to apr.org to hear them again.
