Nikki Haley goes after Ron DeSantis with new force in Iowa

ALTOONA, Iowa – Nikki Haley went after Ron DeSantis directly at an Iowa town hall Sunday night, as the two battle for second place in the early states of the Republican presidential race.

“While Ron lies about me, I’ll tell you the truth about him,” he told the crowd at the Fireside Grill in Altoona. “They have not heard me in any town hall, the press can say it, I have not spoken negatively about anyone. But if you have to lie to win, you don’t deserve to win.”

The feud between Haley and DeSantis, both trailing former President Donald Trump by double digits in most polls in Iowa and other states, has been escalating for weeks. Both want to position themselves as the main alternative to Trump in the Republican presidential race.

But what’s notable about this 90-second attack directed at DeSantis is that Haley did it at the end of her usual speech. While DeSantis emerges in response to questions posed to Haley, he rarely attacks her directly, and his speech has remained largely unchanged for most of the campaign.

Haley’s comments Sunday began with a reference to pro-DeSantis ads.

“I’m watching the ads you see on television,” he said. “Ron DeSantis has not placed a single truthful ad about me.”

Super PACs supporting each candidate have launched two-way attacks in recent months on issues such as ties to China and support for Israel, amid the ongoing war in the Middle East.

While Haley’s campaign ran a digital ad earlier this week attacking DeSantis for his position on social rights, Haley herself has not engaged with DeSantis’ increasing criticism of her in recent weeks.

On Sunday, after criticizing DeSantis on spending and energy policy, Haley brought up DeSantis’ campaign with Rep. Thomas Massie, R-Ky., in Iowa on Saturday.

“You can’t be pro-Israel and bring the most anti-Israel Republican to this state, who voted against fighting anti-Semitism on college campuses and voted against denouncing Hamas,” Haley said. “He voted with ‘the Team’ and that’s who he brought to his state.”

In response, DeSantis said Massie is not specifically against Israel, but against all foreign aid.

“Obviously, I’ve been a big advocate for supporting Israel. I think it’s in our national interest,” the Florida governor told reporters Saturday. “But when they label him as someone specifically against Israel, that’s not true. He’s voted against it 100%. That’s his position. And he’s been very principled in that and we don’t have to agree on that.”

In a statement, DeSantis campaign press secretary Bryan Griffin called him “the clearest and most consistent pro-Israel candidate in this race” and said Haley was “trying to distract from his history of inviting refugees from Gaza to the United States and support the United States.” “Tax dollars go to the Gaza Strip.” The DeSantis campaign has been attacking Haley with the debunked accusation that he wanted to accept refugees from Gaza for several months.

With less than a month until the Iowa caucuses, the state’s most recent NBC News/Des Moines Register/Mediacom poll showed Trump leading the GOP field with 51% support, followed by DeSantis at 19% and Haley with 16%, with fighting for second place within the margin of error.