Haley, Ramaswamy and others to take part in Iowa GOP candidate forum

Republican presidential candidates Nikki Haley and Vivek Ramaswamy, along with some of the other GOP candidates, will take part in a forum in Iowa next month, just weeks before the Hawkeye State holds its first-in-the-nation GOP caucuses.

The candidate forum, titled “Faith and Family with the Feenstras,” will be hosted by Iowa Rep. Randy Feenstra (R) and his wife Lynette on Dec. 9. According to the event page, the forum will feature a “conversation with presidential candidates.”

In a statement from Feenstra first shared with Politico, the Iowa Republican said “faith and family” are the core of Iowa’s communities, and a president who understands these values is needed.

Haley, a former U.N. ambassador, and Ramaswamy, a biotech billionaire, will be joined by North Dakota Gov. Doug Burgum (R) and Ryan Binkley, a Texas businessman and pastor.

Sen. Tim Scott (R-S.C.) was originally expected to attend the forum, though he suspended his presidential campaign Sunday, making an appearance unlikely.

The forum will take place just three days after the fourth GOP primary debate on Dec. 6, which will be hosted by NewsNation in Tuscaloosa, Ala. NewsNation is owned by Nexstar Media Group, which also owns The Hill.

Iowa is a crucial early-voting state for White House contenders, with the state’s first-in-the-nation GOP caucuses set for Jan. 15.

Former President Trump is not on the list of candidates expected at the forum, which doesn’t come as much of a surprise as he skipped the first three GOP primary debates and is expected to skip the fourth next month.

Despite his absences, Trump has maintained a strong lead over his GOP rivals in the polls, with Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis (R) often trailing far behind in second place. Haley, however, appears to be rising as a threat to DeSantis’s second-place spot, with recent polling showing her closing in on the Florida governor.

A Des Moines Register poll published last week showed Trump maintaining a strong lead in Iowa; DeSantis and Haley are tied for second place. Since the August edition of the poll, Haley has gained 10 points, and DeSantis has dropped 3 points.

Haley has come out with strong performances in the past three debates, often sparring with other candidates, notably Ramaswamy, on a variety of issues including foreign policy and abortion.

In a statement shared with The Hill, a spokesperson for Ramaswamy’s campaign said he “very much looks forward to participating.”

“As a parent of two toddlers & the youngest-ever president if elected, it’s Vivek’s job to make family cool again,” the spokesperson said. “Make faith cool again. Make patriotism cool again. Make hard work cool again. We will defend religious liberty without apology. ‘God’ needn’t be a 4-letter word in our country.”

The Hill reached out to Haley and Burgum’s campaigns for comment.