from all the main presidential candidates out here. the polls are saying something differently. and certainly nikki haley is saying something different to her voters. yesterday morning out here in iowa, she essentially argued to voters that she was the one that they should vote for because it was time to move on from the chaos that donald trump brings and they need a new generational leader, they need somebody who will look forward, not backwards. so we ll see in a few days if that is the message that will resonate. and you make an interesting point, one that you sometimes hear from campaigns and people on the ground. we re seeing polls particularly in the caucus state that they don t think will translate, do you think people are more open, the race is more wide open in the state of iowa than what people have been framing it as the last couple months? it is a really good question and any answer i give you is obviously going to be a fess. but when i talk to voters on the ground, the
donald trump and against president biden combined, and $20 million from nikki haley and her groups here in iowa alone, so we ve got a massive disadvantage in terms of what people are driving in a paid format. so events like this tonight gives us the opportunity to stand on stage not just push back, but force finally nikki haley to answer questions about her failed record in south carolina. finally make her answer the question that she has yet to answer, would she consider being donald trump s vice presidential pick, to questions about her unwillingness to admit what she said publicly and on camera, that hillary clinton was her, you know the reason she got into politics in the first place. there are so many unanswered questions. and as we talk about town halls, where nikki haley has stopped taking questions from voters and certainly from the press, tonight she won t be able to hide. and on this stage governor desantis will force her to
these two candidates? well, believe it or not, phil and poppy, there are still undecided voters here in iowa. so this 2forum allows the opportunity it solidify themselves as the clear trump alternative. policy differences, those will also come into focus. and it is remarkable to see just two podiums up on that stage tonight after covering this republican primary for so long when there were so many candidates at the outset. what i can tell you is things have really intensified on the campaign trail in the last few days. here are how nikki haley and governor desantis are thinking about tonight. i like being underestimated. so, you know, i could sit here and say this, but you know what, i think that being the underdog suits me better. so buckle up. i think that it will be an interesting ride. we ve been waiting for this.
i ve done 150 plus town halls and this has come to this moment. don t complain what happens in a general election if you don t play in this caucus. it matters. reporter: so i can tell you from being at some of nikki haley s town halls is that voters tell me that they were attracted to her as a candidate based on past performances. some people say debates aren t all that important. but from speaking to voters, that sort of proves otherwise. so tonight could be hugely consequential both for the former ambassador and for governor desantis. phil, poppy. and we ll all be watching. thanks so much for your reporting. and the iowa caucuses may be a make or break moment for ron desantis. david axelrod who knows his way around a campaign says in a new piece for desantis iowa is becoming a matter of political survival. he and his aligned super pacs
spends tens of millions on air, third-place finish in iowa would almost certainly mean a one way ticket back to tallahassee. and in new hampshire, desantis has fallen to fifth place in a new cnn poll. here is what chris sununu who is backing nikki haley told jake tapper yesterday. ron s put all his eggs in the iowa basket. he said he will win iowa. trump said he would win iowa. they set a love the expectations. so i m not surprised that his poll numbers have plummeted given that he is putting all his emphasis in the midwest right now. joining us now is desantis deputy campaign manager, a long time veteran of iowa and the politics in that state. and i think that that is where i would want to start. given the ground operation, i know you guys and super pacs have spent a lot of time and money on. is if your firm belief that the polls are just missing what is happening in iowa? well, first, good morning,