(C) Iowa Capital Dispatch
This story was originally published by Iowa Capital Dispatch and is unaltered.
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DeSantis campaigns through winter storms in final push to caucus night [1]
['Robin Opsahl', 'More From Author', '- January']
Date: 2024-01-13
As blizzard conditions and a dangerous windchill blanketed Iowa on Saturday, Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis and his supporters made a final push ahead of Monday’s caucuses in events across the state.
The blizzard delayed the DeSantis’ stop at in West Des Moines by more than an hour, but he made it to the event following two campaign rallies earlier in the day, to be followed by a Davenport event and four stops planned for Sunday. The harsh weather conditions have slowed what is usually one of the busiest times in Iowa politics: the weekend ahead of the caucuses, kicking off the parties’ presidential nominating process.
Speaking at the Never Back Down headquarters, the super PAC backing his presidential bid, DeSantis addressed a packed room, asking them to help him deliver a win at the Iowa caucuses.
“Are you ready to make some history on Monday night?” DeSantis said, as the crowd cheered. “They can throw a blizzard at us, and we are gonna fight. They can throw windchill at us, and we are gonna fight. They can throw media narratives at us, and we are gonna fight. They can throw fake polls at us, and we are going to fight. We are going to fight because we are going to turn this country around.”
Though GOP caucus participation was initially expected to possibly reach record-breaking highs this year, the winter weather could put a damper on turnout. As of Saturday, temperatures are predicted to range between -1 and -7 degrees Fahrenheit — potentially the coldest caucus night in history. The Iowa Republican caucuses require voters to go to their precinct caucus locations in person at 7 p.m. in order to weigh in on the presidential selection process.
DeSantis urged Iowans to brave the weather, show up at the caucuses, and bring friends and family.
“It’s going to be cold,” he said. “It’s not going to be pleasant. But if you’re willing to go out there … if you’re willing to brave the elements and be there for the couple hours that you have to be there, if you’re willing to do that, you’re willing to fight for me on Monday night, then as president, I’ll be fighting for you for the next eight years. Every single day.”
Endorsers including Iowans Iowa Gov. Kim Reynolds, Family Leader President and CEO Bob Vander Plaats, and U.S. Rep. Chip Roy of Texas joined DeSantis on the campaign trail, calling for Iowans to help him make it to the White House. Roy said DeSantis’ campaign has proved its commitment to Iowans by holding events in all 99 of the state’s counties, and by staying on the campaign trail this weekend.
Former President Donald Trump has cancelled three of his four events planned for the weekend, opting to instead hold a series of tele-rallies. One of those events was planned for Saturday in Atlantic — a town where DeSantis appeared in person the same day.
“He’s the hardest working candidate, working hard for the people of Iowa because they expect you to earn their vote,” Roy told the crowd. “The people of Iowa know that the road to the White House goes through this state. They know that they have to earn your vote. You can’t be anointed. You can’t assume it. You can’t not show up to the debate. You can’t cancel an event in Cass County.”
Polling data compiled by FiveThirtyEight shows Trump leading the state with 51.3% of Iowans’ support, followed by U.N. Ambassador Nikki Haley at 17.3%, and DeSantis placing third at 16.1%. DeSantis has regularly criticized polls of Iowa caucusgoers as being inaccurate.
The results of a new Des Moines Register/NBC News/Mediacom Iowa Poll are expected to be released at 8 p.m. Saturday.
Cyndee Davis of Saylor township, a precinct chair for DeSantis, said she does not believe polling that shows Trump winning Iowa by a large margin. Even with just two days left, she said, she believes that DeSantis’ chances in the first-in-the-nation contest are getting “better and better.”
“I think Ron DeSantis has got a good chance because a lot of the Trumpers, that are still Trumpers, are old — and they’re not going to want to come out in -5 degree weather. So they’re just not going to make it, and I’ve seen a lot of support for Ron DeSantis. And everything I go to, there are more and more and more people, and they’re not all the same faces. And that’s a good thing.”
Trump is not the only contender DeSantis has to best. Haley has also gained momentum in recent Iowa and national polls, as some GOP voters see her as the top contender to take on Trump. She and DeSantis traded attacks at the CNN debate Wednesday, where DeSantis criticized the former ambassador for allegedly changing policy positions, while she brought up reported funding issues and internal disputes among DeSantis’ campaign and backers.
In West Des Moines, DeSantis said Haley was “running for the donors’ issues,” referring to her campaign’s support from finance figures like the CEO of BlackRock and co-founder of LinkedIn, as well as the Koch-affiliated Americans for Prosperity.
Though the events were planned to rally Iowans to caucus, many of the people attending the event at the Never Back Down headquarters were not Iowans, traveling from out of state to volunteer for DeSantis in the final stretch. Rhonda Wax and her husband traveled to Iowa Thursday from Tennessee in order to volunteer for his campaign, making calls and going door-to-door to speak with potential caucusgoers — until their car got stuck.
“We came because we’re just so passionate about our country, and we’re passionate about this man — and he is the man for this year,” she said.
DeSantis thanked supporters, many of whom are from his home state of Florida, who traveled to Iowa to volunteer, saying it demonstrated the excitement and passion behind his campaign.
“Normally, Flordians don’t choose, in January, to travel north in the middle of a blizzard — usually, that’s why you’re in Florida in January,” he joked. “People are having to pay a lot of money to get up here because of the caucus. They’re putting forth their time, their effort, just to be able to come make phone calls, knock on doors — and to do that people have come from all over to be able to volunteer for this. So thank you for doing that. It really means a lot, and I don’t know that any other candidate, you know, has folks that are organically wanting to come up and help. Because I think people realize this country needs leadership.”
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https://iowacapitaldispatch.com/2024/01/13/desantis-campaigns-through-winter-storms-in-final-push-to-caucus-night/
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