- Ron DeSantis is locked in a bitter battle with Nikki Haley for second place in the GOP race
- DeSantis questioned his rival's conservative credentials during a TV interview
- But Haley's campaign accused him of lying to “revive his failure of a campaign.”
Florida Governor Ron DeSantis turned his fire on rival Nikki Haley ahead of the fourth Republican debate on Wednesday, saying she was not a true conservative.
The pair are locked in a bitter battle for second place behind Donald Trump, the clear frontrunner for the party's 2024 nomination.
DeSantis followed up his lines of attack two days before the debate, saying Haley was supported by the corporate media and Wall Street rather than ordinary voters.
“People are going to vote for someone who will be a fighter, who will represent their conservative principles, and who will actually be able to win on all these issues,” he said during an interview with Newsmax.
“And I'm the only running back who can say that.
Flowery Governor Ron DeSantis launched a blistering attack on former South Carolina Governor Nikki Haley, his rival for second place behind Donald Trump in the Republican nomination race
“I think what Haley has done is she's gotten a lot of support from the corporate media, and now she's gotten a lot of support from Wall Street interest, but that's not typically how it resonates in Iowa.
“And all I'm saying is, she's clearly not a conservative.”
The Haley campaign quickly hit back, accusing DeSantis of outright lying.
“DeSantis is so desperate to revive his failed campaign that he doesn't care about the facts,” spokesman Ken Farnaso told DailyMail.com.
“Nikki Haley has been a conservative outsider who has taken on establishment bullies from both parties. She turned a state into a double-digit economic powerhouse, signed voter ID and one of the nation's strictest anti-illegal immigration laws, and created thousands of new jobs across South Carolina.
“The more Ron DeSantis loses, the more he lies.”
A year ago, DeSantis won re-election in Florida, even eclipsing Trump in the hypothetical race for the party nomination.
He has seen his support decline since launching his campaign, while former South Carolina Governor Haley's support has gained momentum in recent weeks.
Her poll numbers have risen to within a point or two of DeSantis, and last week she won the endorsement of the influential Koch Network.
Haley has seen her star rise in recent weeks as strong debate performances have led to major endorsements and better polling. Haley and DeSantis will meet in Wednesday's debate
They clashed repeatedly during last month's third Republican debate in Miami, Florida
In the latest debate, the two clashed over Chinese policy and energy.
This time, DeSantis made it clear that he will go after Haley's record.
“If you look at her record as governor of South Carolina, I don't think people can even begin to recognize the great accomplishments she has made,” he asserted.
“She basically killed a bill to protect girls and women, bathrooms and locker rooms, which we know is a big deal. I signed similar legislation that protects girls and female athletes.
“She even attacked me for standing up to Disney when we had the problem with the sexualization of the elementary school curriculum.”
In 2016, Haley said such a bill was unnecessary because there were no complaints that bathrooms were being misused or that anyone's rights had been violated.
DeSantis also attacked his rival for meeting with the head of investment firm Blackrock, which is hated by some conservatives for its stance on ethical investing.
“And there's an ad running here in Iowa where Nikki says in her own words that her inspiration for getting into politics wasn't Ronald Reagan, it wasn't Margaret Thatcher, it was Hillary Rodham Clinton,” he said.
In the meantime, they lost one of their lesser-known rivals for the nomination on Monday.
Doug Burgum, Governor of North Dakota ended his lengthy presidential campaign, blaming debate organizers for their strict qualifying rules to prevent him from making an impact.