(AP) In their most hostile encounter yet, Nikki Haley and Ron DeSantis attacked each other early and often in Wednesday's Republican primary debate rather than focus on Donald Trump, the absent front-runner, as both tried to demonstrate they were the strongest alternative to the former president.

DeSantis and Haley called each other liars and insulted each other's records and character in the opening minutes of the debate. They seemed to relish the chance to go head to head without their lower-polling rivals interrupting, as in past debates. The two Republicans instead drilled into each other’s policy ideas and directed viewers to dueling fact-checking websites their campaigns set up.

The one-on-one format displayed their sharp differences over issues ranging from foreign policy to abortion less than a week before the Republican primary process begins in Iowa. But it was unclear whether the debate could reshape a race that's been dominated by Trump, who had the stage to himself at a separate Fox News event in Des Moines where he was seldom challenged and teased the audience about whom he'd pick as his running mate.

Standing at lecterns an arm’s length apart, DeSantis and Haley fired off detailed critiques and sarcastic quips from the beginning.

“You’re so desperate. You’re just so desperate,” the former U.N. ambassador interrupted DeSantis at one point.

The Florida governor in turn said Haley’s “got this problem with ballistic podiatry, shooting herself in the foot every other day.”

In one of her most brutal critiques, Haley ridiculed DeSantis for the turmoil within his political operation, with several rounds of personnel changes and new strategies along with the millions spent on his behalf.

“Why should we think you can manage or do anything in this country?” Haley asked.

DeSantis accused Haley of being beholden to big donors and of flip-flopping on conservative issues.

“We don’t need another mealy-mouthed politician who just tells you what she thinks you want to hear just to try to get your vote, then to get into office and to do her donors’ bidding,” DeSantis said of Haley.

Full details: https://www.wkyc.com/article/news/nation-world/republican-debate-between-haley-and-desantis/507-e78fef50-9937-4bf6-9429-9b9e8dca9446 --

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