Ron DeSantis heads into Iowa collision against Trump with some momentum
Ryan King
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Gov. Ron DeSantis (R-FL) is heading into one of his first major showdowns in Iowa against former President Donald Trump with a little bit of momentum at his back.
The pair are attending dueling events in the Hawkeye State, with the governor flipping burgers in the northwestern part of the state before headlining a fundraiser and Trump convening a massive rally in Des Moines. Ahead of the 2024 clash, DeSantis’s allies rolled out a bevy of endorsements from prominent local Iowa politicians.
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Among the 37 local Iowa politicos backing DeSantis were state Senate President Amy Sinclair and state House Majority Leader Matt Windschitl. Trump’s campaign previously unveiled a suite of Iowa endorsements already this year and his team has teased that there are more to come. Trump still holds the most endorsements overall, particularly from congressional members.
But DeSantis’s endorsement slate comes on the heels of a string of 2024 setbacks. Although not in the contest just yet, he appears to have lost ground against Trump in numerous polls. Some prominent Republicans and billionaire donors have begun to raise concerns about backing him.
DeSantis’s trip to Iowa comes as the Florida governor is expected to officially jump into the arena over the coming weeks now that the state legislature has wrapped up its session.
The Iowa Caucus remains the leadoff state in the GOP primary process, though the last time a Republican winner of the contest clinched the nomination was 2000. Trump, himself, for example, lost Iowa in 2016, but went on to win the nomination nonetheless.
Still, Iowa is seen as a critical state for knocking out weaker candidates and affecting momentum in the contentious primary process. DeSantis’s allies from the Never Back Down Super Pac have signaled they expect him to go the distance in the 2024 arena, having started hiring for Super Tuesday states.
Prior to the Iowa event, DeSantis attended the Peoria and Tazewell County GOP Joint Lincoln Day Dinner in Peoria, Illinois. On the docket for Iowa Saturday are stops at the Feenstra Family Picnic in Sioux Center, Iowa, and the Iowa GOP Fundraiser in Cedar Rapids, Iowa.
The governor’s first major stop in Iowa took place in March. He has attended about 10 major GOP events in various states since March and helped local Republican groups raise over $4.3 million during that time, a spokesperson for his political team confirmed to the Washington Examiner.
Trump’s appearance marks his second major trip to Iowa since debuting his 2024 campaign last November. Notably, he virtually addressed the Iowa Faith and Freedom Coalition’s spring kick-off event last month as well.
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The former president’s appearance follows a jury finding him liable in the E. Jean Carroll case and demanding he pay her $5 million. Trump has denied wrongdoing and vowed to fight the verdict.
Trump has stepped up his public criticisms of DeSantis over recent weeks, indicating that he views him as a top threat in the GOP primary. In return, DeSantis has largely sought to duck Trump’s attacks.