Gov. Ron DeSantis (R-FL) and former U.N. Ambassador Nikki Haley's escalating clash over who will emerge as the alternative candidate to former President Donald Trump's 2024 campaign reached a new peak this week when DeSantis suggested he would be willing to participate in a head-to-head debate with Haley, excluding their other rivals.

"Count me in!" the Florida governor said when Fox News's Laura Ingraham proposed a Haley vs. DeSantis debate on Wednesday. Although Haley has not agreed to the debate proposition and it hasn't been sanctioned by the Republican National Committee, the potential debate marks another instance of the two candidates focusing on what has been touted as the battle for second place in the GOP primary.

BIDEN STOKES NEWSOM PRESIDENTIAL BUZZ AT APEC EVENT ALONGSIDE CALIFORNIA GOVERNOR

The two candidates' focus on each other could distract them from their chief competitor in the primary: Trump. Former New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie directly suggested as much during an interview with MSNBC's Andrea Mitchell on Wednesday.

"I’m the only candidate running against Trump," said Christie. "Nikki Haley and Ron DeSantis seem to be running against each other for second place. Good for them."

Christie has been unequivocal in his criticisms against Trump, going further than any of his rivals on the campaign trail.

"You cannot beat someone unless you run against them. And the only path to the Republican nomination for president is not around Donald Trump or next to Donald Trump," he continued.

As Trump marches closer and closer to winning the nomination, DeSantis and Haley have feuded over the Israel-Hamas war, their ties to China, and a recent backlash over Haley's stance on verifying social media identities. Both candidates and their affiliated super PACs have released ads accusing the other of having ties to Communist China while in office. Most recently, DeSantis slammed Haley this week for suggesting that, as president, she would implement verification for all social media users.

The Florida governor swiftly lambasted Haley's proposal as an attempt to "ban anonymous speech online — similar to what China recently did" and called it "dangerous and unconstitutional." In response, Haley's campaign has repeatedly claimed DeSantis is "lying about his record" on courting Chinese companies "because he's losing."

The two candidates may feel more comfortable slamming each other than Trump, which comes with the high risk of alienating the very voters they are attempting to poach from the former president. Trump's supporters have proven loyal despite his legal dramas, making it delicate for either Haley or DeSantis to denigrate Trump without offending his base.

Haley's and DeSantis's campaigns downplayed their feud and argued Trump was threatened by their insurgency.

DeSantis's campaign has increased its attacks against Trump over recent months, including launching a "Trump Accident Tracker" late last month. The campaign tracks Trump's gaffes, mistakes, and other liabilities dealing with topics such as abortion, the southern border wall, the national debt, and his stance on Israel as he runs for reelection. The Florida governor attacked Trump when he called the six-week abortion ban he signed into legislation a "terrible thing."

"Donald Trump is wrong to attack the heartbeat bill as 'terrible.' Standing for life is a noble cause," DeSantis said in September. He also taunted Trump's decision to forgo the GOP primary debates by selling golf balls that say "Ron DeSantis has a pair. He shows up."

DeSantis supporters have pointed to the more than $25 million spent by Trump and his affiliated super PAC, MAGA Inc., in negative advertising toward the governor as proof that Trump's campaign views DeSantis as the bigger threat.

"There's a reason why Donald Trump continues to spend millions against DeSantis while hiding in his basement and refusing to debate — he knows Ron DeSantis will hold him accountable for all of his broken promises to the American people, just like he's done for the entire campaign," said Carly Atchison, a national spokeswoman for DeSantis, in a statement to the Washington Examiner.

Haley's campaign maintains that she has the stamina and the polling to prove that she can defeat not just Trump but also President Joe Biden during next year's elections. “Poll after poll show Nikki Haley is the best challenger to Donald Trump and Joe Biden. She’s second in Iowa, New Hampshire, and South Carolina and is the only candidate with the momentum to go the distance," said Ken Farnaso, a Haley spokesman, in a statement to the Washington Examiner. "Ron DeSantis has a short shelf life with his Iowa-or-bust strategy. This is a two-person race — between one man and one woman.”

Two polls released this week offer some credence to Haley's argument. An Emerson College poll of New Hampshire voters released on Wednesday showed Trump polling at 49% in the GOP primary, Haley at 18%, a 14% increase since September polling, Christie at 9%, and DeSantis at 7%. One day later, a CNN-University of New Hampshire poll showed Trump at 42% support among likely GOP voters, Haley at 20%, Christie at 14%, and DeSantis at 9%.

A recent New York Times-Siena College poll also showed Haley beating Biden in a hypothetical matchup in six battleground states: Arizona, Georgia, Michigan, Nevada, Pennsylvania, and Wisconsin. Meanwhile, Trump beats Biden in five of the six battleground states: Arizona, Georgia, Michigan, Nevada, and Pennsylvania but not Wisconsin.

Yet on a national scale, polling suggests a more complicated narrative. A RealClearPolitics poll average showed Trump leading the field at 59%, with DeSantis at 14.8% and Haley at 9.6%. The Trump campaign consistently brags about the former president's overwhelming lead in polls, claiming the nomination is already his.

Gregg Keller, a Republican consultant based in Missouri, said in an interview with the Washington Examiner that Haley and DeSantis are behaving somewhat shrewdly.

"They're playing for a second because they're hoping that the legal process puts the second-place finisher across the finish line when it's all said and done because of Trump's legal problems," he added. "And the stronger you finish in the pecking order makes you a more likely default position if it does come to that eventuality."

CLICK HERE TO READ MORE FROM THE WASHINGTON EXAMINER

The former president faces 91 indictments across four criminal cases, with some of the cases going to trial in the thick of next year's primary nominating contests. Should Trump become legally incapable of serving as the GOP nominee, either DeSantis or Haley could have a credible case to replace him, said Keller.

GOP strategist Caleb Shumaker, however, claims that even if Trump's rivals coalesce around one candidate, the former president still wouldn't be defeated. "The field has already shrunk so much, and the numbers haven't really changed," said Shumaker, alluding to former Vice President Mike Pence and Sen. Tim Scott (R-SC), who have dropped out of the primary race. "They're not going to catch up to Trump. ... The math ain't there, and the money's not there either."