One of the more remarkable shifts in the Republican presidential primary over the last year has been the candidates’ move away from the word “woke.” How she handles them on stage Wednesday night may determine if she can attract the conservative coalition she needs to emerge as a true threat to Trump. Such issues touch on the very heart of what it means to be a conservative in 2024. In recent days, DeSantis has gone after Haley for supposedly embracing a liberal policy on legal immigration and for failing to wade into the fight over transgender bathroom use while she was South Carolina’s governor. These days, it’s got far more to do with fealty to Trump, an “America First” foreign policy and a focus on culture wars rather than the traditional conservative emphasis on fiscal discipline, social issues and a muscular foreign policy. Part of Haley’s problem, of course, is that the definition of conservative has changed in the Trump era. To take a big step forward, she needs to convince more hardcore conservatives and Trump voters that she’s conservative enough. It’s hard to win a Republican primary in 2024 with such a coalition. Of all the candidates on stage, Haley has shown real signs of growing interest in her campaign, including high-profile endorsements, large crowds and some polling gains in key early states.īut she’s most popular among the donor class, moderates and the relatively small NeverTrump wing of the party. Can Haley convince skeptical Republicans? They have poked at the absentee front-runner to varying degrees in prior debates, but nothing they have done to date has weakened his grip on the nomination. Perhaps most importantly, the participants also have an opportunity to go after Trump, who will not be on stage to defend himself. In recent days, DeSantis attacked Haley as the “last gasp of a failed political establishment.” And don’t sleep on Christie, who once upon a time almost single-handedly ended Marco Rubio’s presidential aspirations on the debate stage. Ramaswamy slapped at DeSantis’ choice of footwear. In the last debate, Haley called Ramaswamy “scum” after he picked on her daughter’s social media habits. And six weeks before Iowa votes, the increasing pressure to break out, combined with the participants’ animus, could produce fireworks early and often. In case you haven’t noticed, some of these candidates don’t like one another very much. Will they take on Trump as the gloves come off?
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