Gov. Ron DeSantis of Florida is itching for the chance to take part in more 2024 presidential debates and, after some hesitation, former Ambassador to the U.N. Nikki Haley is ready for another showdown.

Former President Donald Trump, the dominant front-runner for the GOP presidential nomination, still shows zero interest in sharing a stage with his rivals.

Whether to debate might be decided for former New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie and Vivek Ramaswamy, who could fail to meet the criteria to join CNN’s planned face-off next month in Iowa.

The situation, combined with Mr. Trump’s massive polling lead, raises questions about what’s the point of more candidate face-offs as CNN and ABC rush in to host more debates, after four Republican National Committee-sponsored events are in the rearview mirror.

For his part, Mr. DeSantis wants to keep debating.

“Debating is the bare minimum that a political candidate should do, and I would note Donald Trump has refused to debate throughout this campaign,” Mr. DeSantis said at a CNN town hall event. “He doesn’t think he owes it to Iowans. He doesn’t think he owes it to Granite Staters to show up and debate and answer questions.”

Mr. DeSantis pressed the issue, telling Fox News’ Sean Hannity he would welcome the opportunity to debate Ms. Haley and Mr. Trump on his show after doing just that last week with California Gov. Gavin Newsom, a Democrat.

“So I’m game, just let me know,” Mr. DeSantis said.

The Trump campaign did not respond to requests for comment.

The RNC recently announced it was lifting restrictions on candidates appearing in non-sanctioned events, freeing them up to participate in debates and other forums outside of the party’s control.

The RNC concluded that it had done its job of narrowing the field and avoiding a replay of the never-ending debates in 2016 by setting strict donor and polling qualification thresholds.

ABC and CNN want a piece of the action, looking to cash in on the audiences that have tuned in. CNN offered to host showdowns in Iowa before the Jan. 15 caucus and New Hampshire before the Jan. 23 first-in-the-nation primary.

CNN has hosted presidential candidates for town halls and has hosted presidential debates in previous election cycles.

Nearly 13 million people watched the first debate, according to Fox, while viewership dipped to 9.3 million in the second debate, 7.5 million for the third debate, and 4.1 million for the fourth debate.

The DeSantis-Newsom showdown, meanwhile, attracted 4.75 million viewers.

Mr. DeSantis was quick to accept the invitation to a CNN debate at Drake University’s historic Sheslow Auditorium five days before Iowa’s first-in-nation caucus on Jan. 15. 

Ms. Haley took some more time before agreeing to show, signaling she wanted to make sure Mr. Trump participated.

“The first four debates have been great for our campaign and for voters, and we look forward to the fifth in Iowa,” Ms. Haley said Friday. “As the debate stage continues to shrink, it’s getting harder for Donald Trump to hide.”

There is a slim chance of that happening, given Mr. Trump’s support has grown since his rivals first took the stage in August.

Mr. DeSantis took credit for forcing Ms. Haley’s hand.

“Now that Nikki Haley has been shamed into coming to the CNN debate, it’s time for Donald Trump to follow suit and join us,” he said.

A recent Des Moines Register/NBC News/Mediacom poll found Mr. Trump’s support in Iowa has climbed to 51%, from 43% in October.

Mr. Trump, over that same period, has overtaken Mr. DeSantis to capture the highest favorability rating in the race in Iowa, which hosts the Jan. 15 caucuses.

It is a similar story in New Hampshire, where Mr. Trump’s support has hovered around 45% since the candidates first squared off in August.

A Washington Post/Monmouth University survey last month found Mr. Trump’s supporters are more motivated and committed to vote for him compared to his rivals’ backers.

Patrick Murray, director of the Monmouth University Polling Institute, said the debates have not done much to change the overall trajectory of the race.

“Before the debates, the second-place finisher was averaging about 13% in national preference polls.  After the debates, it’s still about 13%, except the name has changed,” Mr. Murray said. “There’s been a little bit more of a shift in Iowa and New Hampshire, but the second-place candidate’s support still falls below 20%. “

“No one has emerged as the consensus alternative to Trump,” he said. “The chairs have just been shuffled around the stage.”

• Seth McLaughlin can be reached at smclaughlin@washingtontimes.com.