Sixth Republican debate canceled due to lack of candidates

Former U.N. Ambassador Nikki Haley on Tuesday said she would not participate in this week’s Republican presidential debate unless former President Donald Trump took the stage, as well. ABC News then said later Tuesday night the event had been canceled due to an insufficient number of candidates participating. Only Haley, Trump, and Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis had received invitations to the debate. Haley said the next time she debates, it will “either be with Donald Trump or with Joe Biden.”

Why is Haley issuing this challenge? According to aggregate polling from Real Clear Politics, Haley holds a solid second place to Trump among Republicans in New Hampshire. Trump swept the field in Iowaon Monday night, leading Haley and DeSantis by a historic margin. DeSantis, who won second place in Iowa, accused Haley of being afraid to take the debate stage and of running to be Trump’s vice president, not president of the United States.

Dig deeper: Read Carolina Lumetta’s on-the-ground report on the Iowa caucuses.