Gov. Ron DeSantis' lackluster performance in Iowa comes as Florida's governor has gone all-in on the Hawkeye State over the past few months, spending millions of dollars, redeploying staff, visiting all 99 counties and making major This happened after promoting support.
Former President Donald Trump made history in Iowa on Monday night, winning a landslide victory with about 51 percent of the vote and a nearly 30-point lead over his closest rival, DeSantis.
Former Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump speaks at a caucus night party on Monday, January 15, 2024 in Des Moines, Iowa. (AP Photo/Andrew Harnik)
Mr. DeSantis came in a distant second place with nine delegates, but as of Tuesday morning he had a nearly 30-point lead over Mr. Trump, with an approval rating of 21.2% compared to 51% for Mr. Trump. Ta. In other words, there is a difference of more than 30,000 votes.
Not only that, but former South Carolina Gov. Nikki Haley closely followed DeSantis with 19.1 percent support, winning eight delegates. As of 11:30 a.m. ET, the difference between the two candidates was less than 2,000 votes.
Despite that lackluster performance, DeSantis seemed to mostly ignore reality Monday night, instead declaring, “I got my ticket out of Iowa.”
“They threw everything at Ron DeSantis. They couldn't kill him. Not only is he still standing, he got his ticket out of Iowa,” the DeSantis campaign said on FOX News told.
“It's going to be a long fight ahead, but that's what this campaign is about. We're not going to back down because the risks are too high for this country,” he added.
But the way the DeSantis campaign was talking before Election Day, you would have thought he would have emerged as the overwhelming winner, especially considering the resources, time and energy spent in the state.
In October, DeSantis touted his plans to visit all 99 counties in Iowa, a feat he accomplished several months later.
“I don't think it's just a caucus thing to do in 99 counties. …The fact that I'm willing to do this shows that I consider myself a servant, not a ruler. There should be.'' DeSantis Said at that time. “And how should those elected think of themselves?”
The same month, DeSantis' campaign previewed The company plans to relocate approximately one-third of its employees to Iowa. Three of Mr. DeSantis' top aides at the time — communications director Andrew Romeo, deputy campaign manager David Polianski and national political director Sam Cooper — were deployed to Iowa the following month.according to politikothe DeSantis campaign also set up its headquarters in Urbandale, Iowa.
DeSantis' campaign and the PAC supporting him got thrown away tens of millions Many dollars were donated to the Hawkeye State through this project.DeSantis campaign and pro-DeSantis The groups spent a combined $35 million in Iowa last year, $16.7 million more than the Trump campaign and its allies' PACs, according to AdImpact.
And we received voices of support. In the months leading up to the primary, DeSantis' campaign described his ground campaign as “unparalleled,” and at the time, the state's 40 state legislators, 120 county chairs, and 55 faith leaders from across the state. He showed off his support from many people. In November, DeSantis proudly touted his endorsement from Iowa Gov. Kim Reynolds (R).
“Not only do we need to make sure we elect someone who can beat and beat Joe Biden, we need a president who has the skills and the results to reverse the insanity that we see every day,” Reynolds said in Des Moines. ” he said. He briefly attacked Trump midway through the rally.
“We need people who will fight for you and win for you. We need people who don't get distracted, who stay disciplined, who put this country first and not themselves.” “We need them,” she said. “That leader is Ron DeSantis.”
Related video — Iowa Gov. Reynolds: Trump can't win in 2024, but Ron DeSantis can:
Bob Vander Plaats, a top evangelical leader in Iowa, also supported Mr. DeSantis, but according to Reuters, Mr. DeSantis' organization is “a super PAC affiliated with Mr. DeSantis, a non-profit organization called the DeSantis campaign.'' It wasn't without controversy, however, as he admitted to receiving $95,000 from him. The money was reportedly paid before his endorsement, leading critics to conclude that the endorsement was bought and paid for. However, Pratz insisted, “Everything we do is beyond common sense.''
BREAKING: Iowa evangelical leader admits he was paid by DeSantis team before endorsing him pic.twitter.com/EoVmMPLe1y
— Jack Posobiec 🇺🇸 (@JackPosobiec) November 21, 2023
After the Iowa caucuses, Pratz said, “I have two tickets coming out of Iowa, and Ron DeSantis is one of the tickets coming out of Iowa,'' and expressed his support for the Florida governor. Maintained.
Mr. DeSantis also appeared to have hoped to win over the evangelical vote, but that fell short as admissions polls showed Mr. Trump in complete control of this group.
Mr. DeSantis' “Never Trump” supporters also went on a social media rampage during the primary campaign, disparaging Mr. Trump and his supporters. And many people are still in denial.
“In fact, tonight is just the beginning,” conservative talk show host Steve DeAce said at Monday night's DeSantis watch party, calling it a “two-man affair,” even though Haley narrowly missed DeSantis. It was considered a race.
“There is no room for Republican business owner Nikki Haley’s last gasps,” he added.
Steve DeSantis at DeSantis watch party: 'We're going to win this thing, no matter what Fox News thinks.'
— Julia Manchester (@JuliaManch) January 16, 2024
Others, including members of Team DeSantis, were quick to accuse media outlets of “election interference” after calling Trump the race 30 minutes after his landslide victory.
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. The media is pro-Trump and this is the worst example ever.
— Andrew Romeo (@andrewromeo33) January 16, 2024
The district I'm in hasn't even voted yet, yet the media is trying to make the election Trump.
— Jeremy Redfern (@JeremyRedfernFL) January 16, 2024
When Fox sent out this “breaking news,” people in the precinct I was watching in Des Moines were still speaking, and not even voting. Corporate media interference in elections. https://t.co/0SpmGfojsq
— Christina Pushaw 🐊 🇺🇸 (@ChristinaPushaw) January 16, 2024
Mr. DeSantis similarly played the victim, claiming in a speech Monday night that “they called an election before people even had a chance to vote,” touting his campaign's odds against him. I tried to claim that I was ignoring him.
But it is Trump, not DeSantis, who holds the record for the largest margin of victory in Iowa Republican caucus history, changing the inevitable outcome no matter how much money or county visits his challenger receives. It doesn't seem possible.
Despite this, DeSantis remains active, appearing at three Never Back Down events on Tuesday, two in South Carolina and one in New Hampshire. Later in the day, DeSantis is scheduled to attend a CNN City Council meeting in Henniker, New Hampshire, one week before the Jan. 23 Granite State primary.
Publicly, Mr. DeSantis' confidence does not appear to have been shattered, even though he had predicted an Iowa victory several times in the lead up to the caucuses.
“Well, we're going to win the caucuses,” he said during an appearance on NBC's Kristen Welker. meet the press. “We are doing everything necessary to achieve this. We will continue to strengthen our support.”
DeSantis continued, “We're going to win Iowa. I think that's going to help us get the nomination.”
Although Mr. DeSantis appears to be contrary to previous expectations, his performance, in which he came in second place by more than 30,000 votes to Mr. Trump in state No. 1, continues to propel him into the nomination. It seems like he still believes that he is deaf.
