Iowa’s Role in the Presidential Race: Decoding DeSantis’ Focus

The Florida Governor, Ron DeSantis, has intensified his focus on Iowa with the approaching caucuses, hoping to win the State as he campaigns for the 2024 presidential race.

Why is Iowa important for DeSantis? Let’s read and find out. 

Iowa’s Role in the Presidential Race: Decoding DeSantis’ Focus

Although a small state with just over 3 million in population, the role of Iowa in the 2024 presidential election cannot be understated.

Since 1972, Iowa has been holding the first-in-the-nation caucuses to nominate the presidential candidates for both the Democratic and Republican parties. Amongst all the key battleground states, Iowa is the first to announce its preference for presidential candidates officially.

A win in the Iowa caucuses can significantly boost the candidate’s campaign. Through their win in one of the most important early voting states, candidates can attract more donors and voters’ support to lead ahead of their opponents in the race.

 

As such, the leading Republican 2024 Presidential hopefuls have focused mainly on the State. These include former President Donald Trump, Florida Governor Ron DeSantis, and a former South Carolina Governor and United Nations ambassador Nikki Haley. 

While the former President is leading for the GOP nomination according to the recent Iowa poll released Monday, the polling number seems not to favor the Florida Governor, who is behind Trump by over 30 points and competing with Haley to maintain his second spot in the polls.    

DeSantis announced his candidacy for the 2024 presidential election on May 24, 2023, and entered the race as a major rival to Trump. He was considered a strong candidate in the initial months of his campaigning. However, with his campaign facing a financial deficit, the Florida Governor became less popular among the voters.   

DeSantis has heavily focused on Iowa for months to boost his campaign. He completed his visit to all 99 Iowa counties last month. He has been attending town hall events and meeting voters face-to-face to encourage them to support his campaign. 

Through his focus, the Florida Governor attempts to win or at least secure a second spot in the Iowa caucus to gain momentum to win enough voters’ support in the general election. 

Despite lagging behind Trump, DeSantis’ campaign has

recently received endorsement from several important personalities in Iowa, including the President and CEO of the Christian advocacy group the Family Leader Bob Vander Plaats and Iowa Governor Kim Reynolds. 

In an interview announcing his enforcement, Vander Plaats said, “We need to find someone who can win in 2024.”

Responding to his support, DeSantis wrote on X (Twitter), “His support tells Iowans they can trust me to fight and win for them. ” 

The history of the last three caucuses – 2016, 2012, and 2008 – shows that endorsements from Vander Plaats and other prominent evangelical leaders made a significant difference in Republican candidates’ polling numbers, leading them to wins in Iowa. But, it is unclear whether 

Vander Plaats’s support would make no difference to DeSantis’s campaign.  

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Iowa has a considerable conservative voter population. Many voters supported Trump in the 2016 and 2020 presidential elections to win the State. DeSantis, who has been compared to Trump for his political stance on cultural issues, looks to impress voters who might want an alternative to the former President. 

The Florida governor has said on Meet the Press program, “We’re going to win Iowa. It’s going to help propel us to the nomination. But I think we’ll have a lot of work that we’ll have to do beyond that. I don’t think you take anything for granted.” 

In conclusion, Iowa is an important state for DeSantis. A strong performance in the caucuses could result in him winning the Republican nomination. However, he faces several challenges on his way towards the nomination. Hence, it remains to be seen how DeSantis overcomes his challenges and whether he will be able to win the Iowa caucuses scheduled for January 15, 2024.