DES MOINES, Iowa — Frigid temperatures, heavy snow and slippery roads complicate conditions for 2024 candidates as they criss-cross Iowa in sub-zero weather on Jan. 15 to rally voters in the homestretch. is bringing about.
A snowstorm hit Iowa earlier in the week, dumping several inches of snow, prompting a movement to cancel Monday and Tuesday's events.
Candidates will be bracing for more surprises from Mother Nature, with more snow expected Friday and sub-zero temperatures expected over the weekend leading up to caucus day.
“It's going to be difficult,” Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis told reporters when asked about his grim expectations for caucus night.
“I think our voters are the type for something like that to happen. They vote.”
DeSantis faced a weather dilemma back home after multiple tornadoes ripped through the Sunshine State this week. He assured reporters that Florida is in “good shape” and prepared for the storm.
The 45-year-old rushed back to Iowa after delivering the State of the Union address from Tallahassee, but he forgot something important: his winter jacket.
“I actually have a winter coat, but I forgot it,” DeSantis joked to the audience at the National Contractors Conference in Des Moines on Wednesday.
“So the next people coming in from Tallahassee will be bringing it with them,” he added. “I looked at the weather forecast for Monday. I think we're going to need more than that.”
His wife, Casey DeSantis, recently defied the weather to knock on the door for the 3 millionth time in the campaign cycle, the DeSantis-aligned Never Back Down Super PAC confirmed Wednesday.
All of his major competitors have experienced some form of business disruption from the winter weather.
On Monday, former South Carolina Gov. Nikki Haley was forced to cancel her “Pick Nikki Countdown to the Caucuses” event in Sioux City.
Entrepreneur Vivek Ramaswamy blamed her for the cancellation, quipping to an audience in Iowa: “If you can't stand the snow, you're not ready for Xi Jinping.”
The next day, his campaign canceled three events in northwest Iowa. Despite the slippery surface, Ramaswamy held more events than either of his rivals.
Dangerous driving conditions forced him to confer with voters via iPad during an event in Pella.
Ramaswamy explained that he had instructed his staff not to take risks if the situation was too dangerous.
On the same day, former President Donald Trump's campaign announced that actress Roseanne Barr was withdrawing from her scheduled appearance on Boone.
Mr. Trump has relied heavily on his representatives in the Hawkeye State to address legal and other filing issues.
The newspaper observed dozens of cars abandoned on the side of major highways on both Monday and Tuesday.
Iowa State Patrol claims It dealt with more than 200 accidents and 600 drivers between Monday and early Wednesday.
Former New Jersey Governor Chris Christie, one of the leading 2024 Republican candidates who has virtually avoided Iowa, was not spared by the bad weather, as he braved a snowstorm in New Hampshire.
“I didn't cancel. I didn't cancel. I didn't cancel. You know, I like to talk too much,” Christie said jokingly at Rochester's City Hall.
But the highly-anticipated candidate dropped out of the 2024 Republican race on Wednesday, ending his second bid for the White House just five days before his campaign in Iowa.
Temperatures in Des Moines, Iowa's capital, are expected to be between -3 degrees Celsius and -20 degrees Celsius next Monday during the caucuses.
Snow is expected to fall in parts of the state over the weekend, with temperatures expected to range from 20C to -17C.
