DeSantis earns center podium at second GOP debate, flanked by Haley and Ramaswamy
September 26, 2023 12:13 PM
Gov. Ron DeSantis (R-FL) will take center stage once again.
While much of the DeSantis campaign coverage has focused on his struggles, the Florida governor will again take the center podium at Wednesday night’s debate thanks to his standing in the polls.
DeSantis holds second place in the GOP presidential contest, and with former President Donald Trump skipping the debate, he will be front and center, just as he was in the first debate.
Trump continues to hold a commanding lead, per the RealClearPolitics polling average, with 57% of the vote. That huge advantage is the reason Trump has skipped the debates.
DeSantis is in a distant second place with 14.5% support, but that figure is nearly triple any of the other competitors, who are all mired in single digits.
Flanking the Florida governor will be young entrepreneur Vivek Ramaswamy and former South Carolina Gov. Nikki Haley, who are virtually tied in polling at just over 5%.
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The arrangement could lead to an interesting night for DeSantis. Ramaswamy and Haley got into heated arguments during the first debate in Milwaukee, with DeSantis mostly sticking to his talking points and avoiding the ruckus. Haley appeared to come out on top and has seen a polling boost in the weeks since.
If the scenario repeats itself, DeSantis could be caught in the crossfire between candidates to his right and left.