From John Dunagan, writing in the Daily Beast (November 9, 2023):
As Steve Miller famously sang, “Time keeps on ticking… into the future.”
Republican presidential hopefuls who want to upend former President Donald Trump must know the feeling well. But among the five candidates who took to the debate stage in Miami Wednesday night, the clock ticks loudest for Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis and former United Nations Ambassador and South Carolina Gov. Nikki Haley.
DeSantis has spent more than a year as the main alternative to Trump, but remains in that second position in most polls. Haley, on the other hand, has slowly built support and recent polls put her on par with DeSantis.
Both came into the debate with momentum. (Haley had rising poll numbers, DeSantis had the coveted recent endorsement of Iowa Gov. Kim Reynolds.) Both needed a big performance, with the Iowa caucuses kicking off the primary calendar in just 67 days.
And both delivered—though Haley probably “won” the debate, thanks to an assist from Vivek Ramaswamy.
Photo Illustration by Kelly Caminero / The Daily Beast / Getty