DeSantis sets his sights on Iowa, hoping it will overshoot Trump
Florida Governor Ron DeSantis will open the traditional side of his presidential campaign Tuesday night at a church in suburban Des Moines, aiming to win over Iowans in a socially conservative state where he counts on a strong showing to meet his challenge. fanning the frontrunner, former President Donald J. Trump.
In a recent media blitz, Mr. DeSantis has emphasized the critical role Iowa will play in his bid, calling it “very important” in an interview on “Fox & Friends” and drawing comparisons between a six-week abortion ban he Florida signed and a similar law in Iowa that has been tied up in court.
“I was endorsed by 37 legislators there before I even announced my candidacy,” Mr. DeSantis said on Fox News Monday. “Obviously we have a lot in common with Iowa in terms of what Florida has done and what they have done under Governor Kim Reynolds. And I think the tidal wave of support has been very, very strong. We’re going to put pressure on the case.”
His campaign’s decision to hold its first in-person event at Eternity Church in Clive, Iowa indicates the continued importance of evangelical Christian voters in the state’s Republican primary.
Mr. DeSantis has tried to differentiate himself from Mr. Trump on social issues, pointing, among other things, to their stances on abortion and the governor’s clash with Disney as evidence that he is the more conservative candidate in the race and that Mr. Trump has moved downtown (“I will be able to destroy leftism in this country,” Mr. DeSantis said on Fox News). Texas Senator Ted Cruz defeated Mr. Trump in the 2016 Iowa primary, relying largely on evangelical support.
Trump will also visit Iowa on Wednesday and Thursday, where he will meet with local Republicans and faith leaders and hold a Fox News town hall event in Clive.
The church is a far cry from the setting where Mr. DeSantis formally announced his campaign, an audio livestreamed chat on Twitter last week with the platform’s billionaire owner Elon Musk, which was marred by technical mishaps and sparked ridicule from Mr Trump and others. But the Twitter fiasco went unnoticed by many Iowa voters, according to Gloria Mazza, the chairman of the Polk County Republican Party, which includes Des Moines.
“They know his name, but Iowans expect to meet him,” said Ms. Mazza, who remains neutral in the 2024 race. “They want to hear and see him and look him in the eye. Most people here haven’t made up their mind yet. I go to the events for every candidate and see the same people. They’re trying to decide.’
Ms. Mazza added that both Mr. DeSantis’ campaign and the main super-PAC backing him, Never Back Down, were trying to reach out directly to voters, something she had seen firsthand. Two weeks ago, she said, field workers from Never Back Down knocked on her door to pitch to Mr. DeSantis, who sometimes struggled in his shopping interactions with voters.
“They obviously have a strong ground game,” she said.
And the faltering online rollout kept Mr. DeSantis is not keen on raising a record $8.2 million in the first 24 hours.
Money is perhaps Mr. DeSantis’ greatest strength in the race. Never Back Down expects to have a budget of at least $200 million to spend nationwide, including more than $80 million to be transferred from Mr. DeSantis’ political fundraising committee.
That transfer led to a formal complaint from a campaign watchdog group. On Tuesday, the Campaign Legal Center filed a complaint with the Federal Election Commission, arguing that moving the money to Never Back Down violated rules against the use of “soft” money — dollars raised without federally mandated limits — in a presidential campaign. (The FEC is tied between the political parties, and campaign finance experts say they doubt it would respond to such a complaint.)
Campaign representatives from Mr. DeSantis and Never Back Down did not immediately respond to requests for comment.
While Iowa is a top priority for Mr. DeSantis ahead of a vote in more moderate New Hampshire next year, the state isn’t necessarily a benchmark in Republican politics. The last Republican to win Iowa in a competitive primary season and then clinch the party’s nomination was George W. Bush.
On Wednesday, Mr. DeSantis continues his tour of Iowa with four more events before visiting New Hampshire on Thursday and South Carolina on Friday.
Shane Goldmacher reporting contributed.