DeSantis, Haley spar in heated CNN debate, as Trump fields Iowa town hall: Recap

Nikki Haley and Ron DeSantis came out sniping at one another in their first one-on-one match-up on CNN’s debate stage in Des Moines, Iowa, while former President Trump counterprogrammed with a Fox News town hall in the same city.

Former New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie suspended his GOP presidential campaign just hours before the dueling events, raising the stakes for Haley and DeSantis as they vie to be the top alternative to Trump ahead of next week’s Iowa caucuses.  

CNN anchors Dana Bash and Jake Tapper moderated the debate at Drake University, and Fox anchors Bret Baier and Martha MacCallum moderated Trump’s town hall, which ran the first hour of the debate.

Here’s where candidates stand in Iowa, from Decision Desk HQ/The Hill.

Read below for a recap from both events.