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The Guardian - US
The Guardian - US
World
Maanvi Singh

Republican debate: Haley and DeSantis clash on immigration and Ukraine but absent Trump is the winner – as it happened

The Florida governor, Ron DeSantis and former US ambassador to the UN Nikki Haley speak during the fifth Republican primary debate at Drake University in Des Moines, Iowa.
The Florida governor, Ron DeSantis and former US ambassador to the UN Nikki Haley speak during the fifth Republican primary debate at Drake University in Des Moines, Iowa. Photograph: Mike Segar/Reuters

Tonight's recap

Just days away from the Iowa caucuses, when the first voters will make their picks for a Republican presidential nominee, Nikki Haley and Ron DeSantis exchanged bitter barbs and often circuitous criticisms in a debate that yielded few memorable points.

Meanwhile, Donald Trump carried on as usual in a televised Fox News town hall, comfortable in his spot as the top candidate.

Thanks for following along. And stay tuned for more updates and analysis across the Guardian.

Closing thoughts from each candidate are …

“We can’t run under a banner of pale pastels of warmed-over corporatism, the likes of which is practice by Nikki Haley,” said Ron DeSantis, trying once again to make “pale pastels” stick as an insult.

“We can’t go through four more years of chaos,” said Haley. Though her real catch-phrase tonight was “Desantislies.com”.

Updated

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