DES MOINES, Iowa — Nikki Haley and Ron DeSantis went head-to-head in the 5th GOP debate, just five days before the Iowa caucuses.
Many are saying that the race between DeSantis and Haley is a race for second place in the caucuses. However, both campaigns feel as though they did enough in Iowa and on the debate stage to deliver what Donald Trump can't.
At Drake University Wednesday night, it was a back and forth of DeSantis and Haley criticizing one another on their track records in Florida and South Carolina.
Nikki Haley worked to create a narrative painting DeSantis as untrustworthy, repeatedly telling viewers to visit a website called DeSantisLies.com.
However, DeSantis believes Haley's performance last night hurt her campaign.
"I don't think it was a good strategy for her," DeSantis told Local 5. "I think she had a rough night, and I think, you know, even in the scientific polls, we won overwhelmingly in that sense, so it was good."
On the other hand, Haley's campaign believes that her confidence in her stances is something that sets her apart from DeSantis and Trump.
"Her demonstration of how much she understands what those concerns are, and her command of those issues were really demonstrated very strongly [Wednesday night] on the debate stage, so I think that really set her apart," said Sen. Chris Cournoyer, the Iowa Senate Assistant Majority Leader who has endorsed Haley.
The Iowa Democratic Party also weighed in on the debate, saying they are tired of the divisiveness between the two parties.
"They're working very hard to appeal to their base, and again, some of these issues they are talking about again are not in sync with what Iowans want," said Rita Hart, chair of the Iowa Democratic Party.
Ultimately, all candidates, including Haley and DeSantis, are hoping to gain crucial momentum through a standout performance in the Iowa caucuses. In order to achieve that momentum, campaigns are pulling out all the stops.
"This mealy mouth stuff is what people hate about politicians," DeSantis said. "But I do think Iowa is going to be important."
Despite their differences, DeSantis and Haley were able to agree that Trump should have been on the debate stage. Both candidates dissed Trump multiple times throughout the night, hoping to prove their own commitment to Iowans.
While Trump qualified for the debate, he chose not to attend, instead participating in a Fox News town hall at the same time as the debate. His town hall brought in 4.3 viewers, while the CNN debate only brought in 2.6 million.