A one-on-one debate between Haley and DeSantis could help decide the Republican alternative to Trump

By MEG KINNARD
Associated Press

WAUKEE, Iowa (AP) — Nikki Haley and Ron DeSantis will be alone on the debate stage Wednesday for the first time. The two have spent much of the Republican presidential primary flanked by lower-polling rivals. The stakes are high for both Haley, the former U.N. ambassador, and DeSantis, the Florida governor. The moment is especially important for Haley, a politician long known for her disciplined approach to messaging. That reputation has been tested recently after a series of gaffes. She failed to mention slavery as the root cause of the Civil War and quipped that New Hampshire voters will have a chance to “correct” the results that emerge from Iowa.