DeSantis touts caucus results: ‘We got our ticket punched out of Iowa’

DES MOINES, Iowa — Florida Gov. DeSantis (R) signaled he will ramp up his campaign after finishing a distant second place to former President Trump in the Iowa caucuses on Monday.

“They threw everything at us except the kitchen sink,” DeSantis told supporters gathered at a viewing party, who responded with chants of “Ron!” Ron! Ron! ”

“They spent almost $50 million attacking us,” he said. “The media was against us and wrote our obituary months ago. They called an election before people even had a chance to vote.”

“They were so excited about the fact that they predicted we weren't going to get ticketed out of here in Iowa. But all I can say is that with everything they threw at us, “And yet, thanks to everyone for your support, everyone turned against us and we got ticketed out of Iowa,” he said.

Representatives for Mr. DeSantis echoed the governor on stage, suggesting they are in a long-term race.

“This is not over. In fact, tonight is just beginning. Tonight is a two-man race, and Iowa has made that clear tonight,” said a conservative talk show host from Iowa who endorsed DeSantis. said Steve Diece.

Decision Desk Headquarters predicted DeSantis would finish second in the caucus, followed by former United Nations Ambassador Nikki Haley. The result will certainly come as a relief to his campaign, which has been exposed to negative headlines for months. Furthermore, in the final poll before the caucuses, DeSantis came in third place behind Haley.

But DeSantis is uphill in New Hampshire and South Carolina, finishing third behind Haley. Still, DeSantis plans to head to South Carolina on Tuesday to stick the needle in Haley's hometown. The governor will then head to New Hampshire, where the primary election will be held on January 23rd.

Mr. DeSantis will also have to deal with Mr. Trump's dominance in the primary, even as the race for No. 2 continues. Trump was declared the primary winner in Iowa less than an hour after the caucuses began, a move that drew pushback from the DeSantis campaign and its allies.

“It is completely outrageous that the media would call a campaign and participate in election interference before tens of thousands of Iowans have cast their votes. This is a terrible example,” DeSantis campaign spokesperson Andrew Romeo said on X, the platform formerly known as Twitter.

A spokesperson for Never Back Down, a bipartisan PAC supporting DeSantis, told The Hill that he was in the Pella district where Florida First Lady Casey DeSantis was speaking, and that caucus attendees were in attendance. said he began receiving push notifications from media outlets informing him that the caucus had ended. He called out Trump.