Fact checking CNN’s GOP debate in Iowa

CNN —

Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis and former South Carolina Gov. Nikki Haley participated in CNN’s Republican presidential debate Wednesday as they looked to make their final appeals to Iowa voters just days before the state’s GOP caucuses.

While the Republican front-runner, former President Donald Trump, skipped the event, DeSantis and Haley took questions from likely GOP caucusgoers and CNN moderators Dana Bash and Jake Tapper on issues ranging from the economy to immigration.

Here is a fact check of some of the claims both candidates made on the debate stage.

DeSantis on Haley’s position on a gas tax

With the economy one of the key issues among voters, DeSantis aimed to position himself as the best candidate to address those concerns, claiming that Haley supported policies that hurt her constituents’ wallets, like raising the gas tax.

“Nikki Haley when she was governor she promised she would never do the gas tax, then tried to raise the gas tax on hardworking South Carolinians,” DeSantis said.

Facts First: This needs context. While Haley initially said that as governor she would not support an effort to raise the gas tax, she later said she would if it was paired with a cut to the state income tax.

In responding to DeSantis during Wednesday’s debate, Haley acknowledged as much, saying: “We said if you want to raise the gas tax, you have to reduce the income tax by five times that amount. They didn’t want to do it.”

It’s worth noting that this proposal was in response to state legislator’s efforts to raise the gas tax and did not constitute support for a standalone gas tax increase.

Furthermore, Haley’s proposal was not received favorably by the Republican-held state legislature and ultimately the gas