WEST DES MOINES, Iowa — Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis addressed his supporters Monday night after finishing second to former President Donald Trump in the Iowa caucuses, saying, “I got ticketed out of Iowa.'' ' he claimed.
“They threw everything but the kitchen sink at us. They spent almost $15 million attacking us… They even called an election before people had a chance to vote.” The governor began speaking.
“I'm not going to make any excuses. I can guarantee you this: I won't let you down.”
DeSantis entered the election expecting to come in third place in the polls behind Trump and Nikki Haley. The governor took second place behind Trump's landslide first place.
Bob Vander Plaats, a top DeSantis supporter and evangelical leader, said DeSantis has a chance to continue, having “cut two tickets” from Iowa.
The Sunshine State leader has long said he would “win” the Iowa caucuses because of his strong organizational skills and ground game. He visited all 99 counties in the state and worked on grassroots retail politics to persuade voters.
DeSantis continued his efforts over the weekend, sprinting across the state in a blizzard and hosting several events in one day.
His campaign argued that his organization would push the results amid bad weather and the possibility of low turnout in the caucuses.
He continued to visit the caucus venue and speak to voters from Monday into the evening.
Hours before Monday night's caucuses, DeSantis said he hoped to do well and was glad people saw him as an “underdog.”
Mr. DeSantis' campaign claimed that the media interfered in the election by claiming Mr. Trump's victory before the polls closed.
“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 on Mr. Trump's side and has always been. This is the most egregious example of this,” communications director Andrew Romeo said in a statement.
DeSantis has vowed to continue campaigning in the early states, flying to Haley's home state of South Carolina on Tuesday morning and flying to New Hampshire in the afternoon.
