DeSantis vs Haley debate

Nobody cared when it was 17 people sans Trump. Nobody cares now that it down to two.

The clear winner here is Trump. He has yet to be dented, and DeSantis and Haley attacking each other did little to change that.

There is a lot of buzz that Haley might be able to pull off an upset in New Hampshire (or come close) and then "reset" the narrative. But even if Haley won New Hampshire, there is little belief she is in a position to win anywhere else.

In short, the only reason Nikki Haley has a shot at New Hampshire is because of the Independents and Democrats who are allowed to "cross over" and vote in the GOP primary. If New Hampshire was a caucus or a closed primary, Haley would not be within shouting distance. So while some anti-Trumpers might want to make something of a good performance for Haley, I don't believe she can reproduce it anywhere there is a caucus or closed primary.

If Donald Trump wasn't Donald Trump and wasn't a former President and wasn't some sort of demi-god in the eyes of many of his supporters, perhaps this primary season could behave as others have where it takes very little to change momentum in a large way. But Donald Trump is Donald Trump and Nikki Haley is Nikki Haley. Haley is someone who pretty much garners much respect among old school Bush neo-conservative types, or those who pretend to be prudent conservatives who believe Trump won't win. But she does not have the ear of the sort of Republicans that will ultimately decide this primary race.