Haley Aims for 'Knockout Punch' in 4th Debate

There will be a lot on the line for candidates during the fourth Republican debate, perhaps the final one before primary voters head to the polls in Iowa and New Hampshire. The debate stage Wednesday night in Tuscaloosa, Alabama, will be the least crowded yet, with just four candidates vying for attention: Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis, former South Carolina Gov. Nikki Haley, entrepreneur Vivek Ramaswamy, and former New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie. The Republican frontrunner, former President Trump, will again be absent as he attends a private fundraiser. Here's what to expect:

• DeSantis: The "once near-frontrunner" with a comfortable lead over the other participants in national polls will be looking to make a splash given that his debate with California Gov. Gavin Newsom last week "did little to generate much excitement for his campaign," per the BBC, though the outlet notes DeSantis could use more of the same "combativeness" in Wednesday's debate.
• Haley: Leading DeSantis in New Hampshire and South Carolina and neck and neck with him in Iowa, she's "riding a mini-wave" that she'll look to grow with "a knockout punch," per the BBC. Still, there's doubt she can become a serious challenger for the nomination. As the New York Times notes, she trails Trump by "a full 50 percentage points" in national polls.

• Ramaswamy: His antagonistic approach in the third debate saw no payoff in the polls. Still, the struggling candidate has promised to bring the same "candor" this time, per NBC News. That's the wrong choice, in the BBC's view; it reports "a more measured, mature debate showing might allow him to rehabilitate his image."
• Christie: The debate could be his do-or-die moment. He barely made the polling requirement to appear, and some in the anti-Trump camp have suggested he should step aside rather than draw support away from more moderate candidates like Haley.
• Declining interest: All four candidates face growing pressure to refuel their campaigns, but that may be hard to do given sagging viewership numbers. Some 12.8 million viewers tuned in the first debate, 9.5 million to the second, and 7.5 million to the third. In contrast, 14 million people watched the third Republican debate of 2015.

• Trump: Viewers, like Trump, may see the debate as superfluous, as the frontrunner is again opting not to participate. The decision hasn't hurt him. Trump is seeing "leads in excess of 20 points across the early states and nationally—leads that have either grown or remained consistent" despite ongoing legal battles, per NBC.
• Clashes: But with a less crowded debate stage, the candidates get more time. Expect DeSantis and Haley to take aim at each other as they vie to firmly claim the No. 2 slot and make clear they're ready to go up against Trump.
• He won't be ignored: "We intend to ask several pointed questions about Donald Trump ... and give the candidates an opportunity to compare and contrast themselves to the person they most need to beat at this point," NewsNation anchor Elizabeth Vargas tells the Hill. She'll moderate the debate alongside SiriusXM host Megyn Kelly and Washington Free Beacon Editor-in-Chief Eliana Johnson.

(More Republican debate stories.)