West Des Moines, Iowa – “We did it the right way,” Republican presidential candidate Ron DeSantis insisted as he stood in front of a crowded room at the Iowa headquarters of the super PAC supporting his bid for the White House.
Florida's governor is devoting much of his time and resources to Iowa, where the caucuses mark the start of the Republican presidential nominating calendar.
And with Monday night's caucuses all but certain to bring campaigning for president, Mr. DeSantis is calling on his supporters to brave the frigid sub-zero temperatures that punish the Hawkeye State and vote. Ta.
“It's going to be cold. It's not going to be comfortable. But if you're willing to go out and fight for me, if you're willing to bring people to the caucuses, if you're willing to If you're willing to brave the elements and be there for the few hours you have to be there, if you're willing to do it, if you're willing to fight for me on Monday night, I You are going to fight for the next eight years as president,” DeSantis stressed.
What the final polls before Monday's Iowa Republican presidential caucuses show
Republican presidential candidate Florida Governor Ron DeSantis (right) takes the microphone after being introduced at an event in West Des Moines, Iowa, Saturday, January 13, 2024. On Saturday, January 13, 2024, Iowa Governor Kim Reynolds was also on stage and DeSantis' wife, Casey DeSantis. (AP Photo/Pablo Martínez Monsivais) (AP Photo/Pablo Martínez Monsivay)
DeSantis, who was convincingly re-elected to a second term as Florida governor 14 months ago, was once the clear alternative to former President Donald Trump in the Republican race for the White House. He had been firmly in second place behind Trump, the clear front-runner, for several months in the latest Iowa polls and national polls.
But after a series of campaign setbacks and negative advertising over the summer and fall, Mr. DeSantis saw his support in the polls decline.
Former South Carolina Gov. Nikki Haley, who served as U.N. ambassador during the Trump administration, gained momentum in the fall, overtaking DeSantis in second place in Iowa and national polls.
Haley appears to be doing well at Iowa State despite media expectations
Eight days after the Iowa caucuses, Ms. Haley surpassed Ms. DeSantis to move into second place in New Hampshire, where the first primary on the Republican nomination calendar and the battle for second place overall will be held, closing the gap with Mr. Trump. .
2024 Republican presidential candidate, former ambassador to the United Nations, and former South Carolina governor Nikki Haley poses for a photo with supporters and other Iowa voters at a campaign event in Ankeny, Iowa, on January 11, 2024. (Fox News – Paul Steinhauser)
Mr. DeSantis no longer expects to win Iowa, but over the past week he has repeatedly said in his caucus that he will “do well.” And the Florida governor is betting that the arch-field game in Iowa, which relies heavily on his affiliated super PAC Never Back Down, can cross the finish line.
“We have a huge number of people. I think we have more commitment than we've ever had in the Iowa caucuses. We're organizing every county. People who have been involved in this process. says it's the best it's ever been,” he touted on his Fox show. Tuesday at News City Hall in Des Moines.
Snowstorm derails Iowa campaign event, sub-zero temperatures lower caucus turnout?
Never Back Down highlights that they knocked on 900,000 doors in Iowa and called more than 1,700 precinct leaders to caucuses across the state.
“We have a whole team of paid staff, recruiters and volunteers all over the state,” Never Back Down's Jess Szymanski told Fox News. “They've been here for months…We've been building this since July.”
But Trump, who narrowly lost to Texas Sen. Ted Cruz in the 2016 caucuses, has dramatically stepped up his campaign efforts in the state compared to eight years ago.
“We have built a movement in over 1,800 caucus locations with loyal volunteers in each region who know their region and know who is caucusing in their region. We know who they are and we'll follow up with them to make sure they vote,''' Chris Lacivita, a senior adviser to the Trump campaign, told Fox News.
Trump seizes opportunity with approach to Iowa caucuses
“We've been focused and focused on people…and we think that's going to pay off in a big way,” he predicted.
Former President Donald Trump speaks during a campaign rally at the Terrace View Event Center on Friday, January 5, 2024 in Sioux Center, Iowa. (AP Photo/Andrew Harnik) (AP Photo/Andrew Harnik)
Haley relies on the political wing of the powerful grassroots network of Americans for Prosperity, an influential conservative group, to do much of her ground work in Iowa.
Speaking to supporters on Friday, Haley said: “We know it's going to be -19 degrees on January 15th. We know we're asking a lot of people to go out and attend caucuses. But we also know that we have a country to save.” “I'm going to be out in the cold, and I know that Iowans are taking this very seriously.”
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A final Des Moines Register/Mediacom/NBC News poll of Republican caucus attendees released Saturday night found Haley boosted her adrenaline and hurt DeSantis, by a 20% to 16% margin. He came in second place behind Trump. .
The highly anticipated and closely watched poll, conducted by longtime pollster Ann Selzer, has a reputation for accuracy in past Republican presidential caucuses and ranks as the gold standard for Iowa polls and many people are thinking.
Republican presidential candidate Florida Governor Ron DeSantis takes a selfie with supporters at a campaign trail in Ankeny, Iowa, on January 12, 2024. (Fox News – Paul Steinhauser)
This is the second year in a row that the poll has shown DeSantis slipping to third place. But DeSantis remained confident, telling Fox News on Friday that DeSantis is “motivated, passionate and will come together.”
“What will happen to the broader electorate? I don't know. But I am confident that our people will be strong,” he predicted.
Fox News' Clare O'Connor, Deirdre Heavey and James Levinson contributed to this report
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