Probably…..
Ron DeSantis and Nikki Haley are stepping up their direct attacks on former President Trump as time runs out to court voters in Iowa.
The GOP rivals went after Trump over “flip-flopping” on abortion, his past campaign promises and electability Thursday in back-to-back town halls hosted by CNN in Iowa. The ramped-up aggression is a new tact for DeSantis and Haley as they vie to overtake one another and deny Trump the nomination in the eleventh hour of primary season….
…
“The challenge for both of these candidates is literally just getting people to notice and getting Republican primary voters to really, truly notice them because it feels like Donald Trump is going to carry the day in that state,” said Republican strategist Ron Bonjean,referring to Iowa.
Trump has been the clear front-runner throughout the race, maintaining a lead of 50 points nationwide and more than 30 points in Iowa, according to polling averages from The Hill/Decision Desk HQ.
Despite Trump’s lead in the polls, most of his rivals for the Republican nomination have shown hesitation in attacking him head-on. The most common attack that the rest of the field made against Trump earlier in the race was criticizing his decision to skip the GOP debates.
Haley had already begun to hit Trump harder, pointing to “chaos”following him and that would continue in a second Trump term.
But both candidates displayed some of their sharpest attacks yet on Trump on Thursday night, arguing he did not keep the promises he made when first running in 2016 and that the baggage he has would hurt him in a general election….