Ron DeSantis and Nikki Haley are fighting to establish themselves as the obvious alternative to Donald Trump.

The US presidential candidates will take the stage for the fourth debate of the 2024 Republican primaries, with the race narrowing to a head-to-head battle for the main alternative to front-runner Donald Trump.

There will be four candidates on stage at the University of Alabama for their final scheduled meeting before the Iowa caucuses next month open the U.S. presidential nomination season.

The elimination of candidates and Trump’s clear stance not to participate in the debates have ended the battle between Florida Governor Ron DeSantis and the former US ambassador to the United Nations Nikki HaleyTech entrepreneur Vivek Ramaswamy and former New Jersey Governor Chris Christie.

The debate will take place on Wednesday at 7 p.m. (01:00 GMT) at the University of Alabama in the city of Tuscaloosa.

Former President Donald Trump is running to retake the White House despite being accused of 91 felonies.

Haley and DeSantis in the spotlight

With Trump up more than 40 percentage points in most opinion polls, DeSantis and Haley are eager to establish themselves as the obvious alternative for voters looking to leave the former president behind.

Ramaswamy and Christie will also be on the debate stage – but the spotlight will be on DeSantis and Haley.

“The two people on the stage who have a chance of challenging Trump one-on-one are DeSantis and Haley,” said David Kochel, a longtime Republican strategist in Iowa.

In national polls, DeSantis has a small advantage over Haley. But Haley has closed the gap and has a significant lead over DeSantis in New Hampshire and her home state of South Carolina – crucial states in the nomination fight because they are among the first to select a candidate.

The two are effectively tied in Iowa, where the first Republican primary will take place on January 15th.

Last chance?

With no further debates currently scheduled, Wednesday’s televised face-off could be the last chance for Haley or DeSantis to deliver sustained blows to their opponents in front of a national audience.

Much of Haley’s momentum comes from strong performances in the last three debates, and she benefits from a key endorsement from the powerful Koch family and $250,000 from LinkedIn co-founder Reid Hoffman, a major Democratic donor.

In a sign of the DeSantis camp’s eagerness to win support from Haley, spokesman Bryan Griffin called the donation proof that she is indeed “a liberal.”

“It would let companies set immigration policy, roll out the red carpet for China, raise taxes on hard-working Americans and require social media users to register with the government,” he said.

Haley received praise for the way she conducted a heated foreign policy exchange with Ramaswamy during the first debate in August. But recent arguments between them have been more of a nuisance for both candidates and have devolved into personal attacks.

Former Gov. Christie barely met the minimum polling thresholds set by the Republican National Committee to qualify for the debate. The former federal prosecutor once supported Trump but has become one of his most vocal opponents and is likely to attack the former president on stage.