Ron DeSantis, Donald Trump schedule dueling Iowa stops

The Trump/DeSantis feud continues.

The top two Republican presidential candidates will be hawking their wares Saturday in the Hawkeye State.

Gov. Ron DeSantis has at least two Iowa stops set.

The Governor and First Lady Casey DeSantis will appear at the “Feenstra Family Picnic” held by U.S. Rep. Randy Feenstra in Sioux Center.

That event, to be held at the Dean Family Classic Car Museum, kicks off at 11 a.m., with suggested donation levels running between $50 and $6,600.

Feenstra will not endorse the Governor before or at that event, per reports.

“In Iowa, like Florida, freedom is valued, parents’ rights are protected, and faith comes first,” DeSantis told Fox News Digital last month. “Congressman Feenstra is a strong conservative with a record of delivering results, and I’m happy to support him.”

From there, DeSantis will head to Cedar Rapids, where Iowa GOP Chairman Jeff Kaufmann will hold a ticketed discussion and fundraiser featuring the Florida Governor. Tickets start at $100 per person and $175 per couple, with pricier hosting opportunities.

DeSantis is also touting a few dozen legislative endorsements, according to POLITICO. These include the bulk of leadership.

State Senate President Amy Sinclair, Senate Majority Whip Waylon Brown, Assistant House Majority Leader Brent Siegrist, House Majority Leader Matt Windschitl, House Speaker Pro Tempore John Wills, House Majority Whip Henry Stone and Assistant Majority Leader Jon Dunwell are all backing DeSantis.

State Sens. Scott Webster, Jesse Green, Adrian Dickey, Mark Costello, Ken Rozenboom, Dennis Guth, Dan Zumbach, Tom Shipley, David Rowley, Mike Klimesh, and state Reps. Dave Deyoe, Dean Fisher, Brian Best, Steven Holt, Tom Moore, Norlin Mommsen, Skyler Wheeler, Ann Meyer, David Sieck, Phil Thompson, Carter Nordman, Bob Henderson, Ken Carlson, Devon Wood, Bill Gustoff, Dan Gehlbach, Tom Determann, Mike Vondran, Taylor Collins, and Hans Wilz are all also on board.

While DeSantis will play smaller rooms, former President Trump will have a more traditional rally that evening in Des Moines. The President will speak at the Lauridsen Amphitheater at Water Works Park beginning at 7 p.m., and he will not be without a supporting cast.

Former Acting U.S. Attorney General Matt Whitaker will offer remarks, along with former U.S. Rep. Rod Blum, Senate President Pro Tempore Brad Zaun and state Rep. Bobby Kauffman.

Iowa polling is going Trump’s way.

A McLaughlin and Associates survey commissioned by his campaign in late April shows a 54% to 20% lead over DeSantis.

In a Victory Insights poll also taken last month, Trump again led DeSantis 54% to 20% in a crowded field, and 59% to 41% when the field was reduced to just those two names.

In yet another April poll of the Iowa race, a J.L. Partners survey shows Trump up 41% to 26% in a crowded field.

One poll offers reason for optimism for DeSantis supporters. In a survey conducted by Cygnal for Iowans for Tax Relief, the former President has a smaller lead over DeSantis, at 37% to 30%. An additional 19% of respondents are undecided, with other candidates struggling for support.

Both Trump and DeSantis have been to Iowa this spring and, in the case of the former President, the Governor was a topic of his remarks. Trump hammered DeSantis on his previous positions on entitlements for senior citizens and ethanol mandates, the latter an issue of particular importance in the state.

DeSantis stuck to a familiar script during his stop in the Hawkeye State, which was functionally a promotional visit for his recently released book on March 10. At that point, polling from the Des Moines Register showed the Governor essentially in a dead heat with Trump.