DES MOINES, Iowa – Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis will begin Tuesday in his home state, performing his duties as governor while delivering the State of the Union address in Tallahassee.
But in a few hours, the Republican presidential candidate will be back on the road in Iowa, taking part in a Fox News town hall.
In addition to answering questions from Special Report chief political anchor Bret Baier and The Story editor and anchor Martha McCollum, DeSantis will be speaking in Des Moines, Iowa's capital and largest city. He will also answer questions from a live audience at City Hall.
DeSantis secured a second four-year term at the helm of Florida with a landslide victory 14 months ago, but Trump has been the dominant front-runner in the race for the 2024 Republican presidential nomination for months. He remained in second place after the former president.
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Republican presidential candidate Florida Governor Ron DeSantis arrives for a campaign rally at Thunderdome on December 2, 2023 in Newton, Iowa. ((Photo by Scott Olson/Getty Images))
But after experiencing a series of setbacks over the summer and weeks of negative publicity highlighting issues such as campaign spending, staff layoffs and leadership changes, DeSantis' public opinion We've seen support decline in polls.
Her rival, Nikki Haley, a former South Carolina governor who served as U.N. ambassador during the Trump administration, has overtaken DeSantis in Iowa polls in recent weeks, coming in second place. DeSantis' Jan. 15 caucus puts him at the top of the Republican nomination calendar — and in national polls.
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In New Hampshire, where the first primary will be held just eight days after Iowa, Ms. Haley surpassed Ms. DeSantis and moved into second place, closing the gap with Mr. Trump.
2024 Republican presidential candidate, former United Nations ambassador and former South Carolina governor Nikki Haley stands at City Hall with FOX News' Bret Baier and Martha McCollum, January 8, 2023, Des Moines, Iowa ) (Fox News – Paul Steinhauser)
DeSantis is betting his chances of winning the nomination on a strong showing at Iowa State, and has been predicting a win in the Hawkeye State for weeks.
“We're going to win here in Iowa,” he told Fox News Digital while campaigning in the eastern part of the state the week before Christmas.
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And he predicted at the caucus that “there's going to be a lot of clarity in terms of who's real and who's not. So we're looking forward to that.”
But in recent days, DeSantis has seemed to temper his expectations, telling Fox News on Sunday, “I think we'll do well here.”
Haley joined Fox News on Monday for a similar town hall, and Trump took questions from Baier and McCollum on Wednesday.
Get the latest on the 2024 campaign trail, exclusive interviews and more with Fox News Digital's Election Hub.
