A.G. Gancarski
Gov. Ron DeSantis is returning to Iowa Friday and Saturday, attempting to gain ground on Donald Trump in a state his campaign views as must-win.
The Governor and First Lady Casey DeSantis will hold a meet-and-greet in Fort Dodge at 9 a.m., and a roundtable with Iowa Secretary of Agriculture Mike Naig in Boone at noon Friday. He will also deliver remarks at the Family Leadership Summit in Des Moines Friday.
On Saturday, Mr. and Mrs. DeSantis will hold another meet and greet at 9 a.m. in Winterset. After that, the Governor will be one of the so-called “wingmen” at U.S. Rep. Zach Nunn’s “Operation Top Nunn: Salute to Our Troops” fundraiser, joining U.S. Sen. Joni Ernst for an event starting at 1 p.m. at the Ankeny Airport.
The ground game is accentuated by air support courtesy of the Never Back Down PAC, which has already spent $5 million on TV ads, according to Axios.
The Governor says his efforts in Iowa and other early states are a methodical means of building support for the long haul.
“We have a state-by-state process so, what we focused on is getting footholds in Iowa, New Hampshire, South Carolina,” DeSantis told radio host Howie Carr Wednesday.
“I’m going to be in Iowa the next few days, we’re going to be back in New Hampshire very soon, same with South Carolina, and you build support. It doesn’t happen overnight. And I can tell you what we found with Republican voters, we get very favorable views, in terms of, they know I’ve done a good job as Governor, when they come out and hear me, they sign up and they want to support us.”
DeSantis’ next trip to Iowa, a little more than a week after Casey DeSantis launched a national “Mamas for DeSantis” movement, comes in the wake of less-than-sterling polling.
A new survey conducted by National Research Inc. and reported by American Greatness shows Trump with 44% support, with DeSantis drawing 21%, a 23-point lead well outside the +/- 4.38-percentage-point margin of error. Trump’s lead has grown from the 39% to 24% advantage he enjoyed a month prior.
U.S. Sen. Tim Scott’s 7% is good for third place, ahead of Chris Christie, Mike Pence and Vivek Ramaswamy (each at 3%). Nikki Haley (2%) and Asa Hutchinson (1%) are even further back. Undecided voters make up 14% of the sample.
The Governor’s path is narrow, the polling memo says: “DeSantis is losing among voters who have a favorable impression of him. Twenty-eight percent of these folks say DeSantis is their preferred candidate while 42% chose Trump. Voters who have a favorable impression of both men chose Trump as well, 55% to DeSantis’s 25%.”
The Race to the White House average for the state shows Trump leading DeSantis, 45% to 21%.
Trump was in Iowa recently. He messaged heavily about DeSantis’ previous opposition to ethanol subsidies. The former President has discussed this matter previously, in an effort to show DeSantis doesn’t support the priorities of the state’s corn farmers.
15 comments
Jill Is My Name, Casey Is My Weekend Name
July 14, 2023 at 6:22 am
Hey Jill! Ya gonna wear that cool jacket again?
JD
July 14, 2023 at 6:32 am
For the Ronald McDonald clown road show circus, don’t forget to tell the Iowegians about how your home state seas are boiling while your constituents’ homes are uninsured.
Iowegians, ask about that campaigning using money raised for state campaigns, potentially transferred to a federal campaign by various superPACs. That should something Hawkeyes scrutinize.
Grimace
July 14, 2023 at 2:31 pm
And it is literally Ronald McDonald:
RONALD desantis
mitch MC connell
trump, DONALD j
My Take
July 14, 2023 at 6:57 am
I guess the glass-half-full good news is that every day he’s somewhere else is one fewer day he’s actively degrading Florida.
Dont Say FLA
July 14, 2023 at 7:33 am
Word of advice to Casey: Leaving Rhonda at home last time was a smart move. Since you now feel like you need to bring somebody to meet and greet and “kiss” Iowan babies, I recommend you take an alligator.
DIve Dive Dive
July 14, 2023 at 7:56 am
Ron and Casey heard their poll numbers were getting lower and lower in Iowa. After the Mama Grizzly Bear thing got laughed out of Iowa, Casey decided If we double down, we can prevent our poll numbers from dropping any lower. All’s we gotta do is get them to zero. When we’re polling at zero, the “down in polls” will have to stop, and the bad headlines don’t stop, we can claim political persecution of us by the mass media, ’cause it’s definitely not us that’s the problem. Definitely. Definitely. I’m an excellent driver. Time for Wapner.
No Comprendo Las Ropas
July 14, 2023 at 8:01 am
Does “Woke” mean little fluffy dogs? Retirees? Both?
Eliot G
July 14, 2023 at 9:17 am
I think DeSantis blew his chances of ever becoming POTUS. He should have waited until 2028. In the mean time, while our governor is running around the country, our state is suffering with insurance rates spiraling up and seemingly out of control. Insurance companies are leaving the state because it is so bad. This should have been addressed in his first term as governor and fixing this issue was part of his promise when he was re-elected to a second term. A four year term I might add. So while DeSantis is running around the country, IMO in futility, the insurance crisis in Florida gets worse. So, Mr. DeSantis, what’s it gonna be? You cannot run for president be an effective governor. Put you ego in check, stop wasting everyone’s time, get back here, and DO YOUR JOB!
Dont Say FLA
July 14, 2023 at 11:42 am
What would have been the point in waiting until 2028? Ron was going to grow a personality in the next 4 years? Ron will still be Ron in 2028. On the national scene, Ron is a sad, puny joke, and he will still be that in 2028, 2032, 2036, 2040 and so on until the day he dies and then his tombstone will read “Little Man, Big Joke” for however long the tombstone survives the ever stronger and increasingly frequent hurricanes.
My Take
July 14, 2023 at 1:30 pm
DeJoke and WOKE will be long remembered,, but just be an odd side story in American political hisyory. Above Lyndon LaRouche (sp?) in impact, a bit below George Wallace
Michael K
July 14, 2023 at 12:32 pm
But drag queens! Oh my!
All Ron ever cared about is pandering to the narrow, hard-core racist, bigoted white wing of what remains of the Republican Party. But the MAGAts are saying, “why should we settle for an angry, humorless, low-rent cheap imitation when we can get the real thing?”
Eliot G
July 14, 2023 at 4:05 pm
I was thinking about your response to my post. I am registered to vote as NPA as my status. However, I usually vote for Republican candidates (I think the last Democrat I voted for was Bill Clinton). As I don’t consider myself to a “narrow, hard-core racist, bigoted” person, I am wondering if you would care to expound on your assertion. In fact I would assert that it is the Democrats that are hard-core in their racism and bigotry in how they treat so-called minorities.
Joe
July 14, 2023 at 4:24 pm
The Iowa caucuses are meaningless, GQP morons!
Donald J Trump
July 15, 2023 at 9:22 am
Vote for me. I’ll protect LGBT and abortion in Florida. Ron DeSanctimonious will take away your freedoms.
Kim
July 15, 2023 at 11:22 am
Ron Desantis is the only person that has the education and background needed for today’s problems. He is a constitutional legal eagle and isn’t afraid to take on the soros WEF. Vote Desantis 2024
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