Florida Governor Ron DeSantis has made his first trip to Iowa, an important early voting state in the Republican presidential primary, as speculation increases about his potential candidacy for the 2024 election.[0] DeSantis is not expected to announce his campaign until the Florida legislative session ends in May, but polls suggest he is the most formidable opponent to former President Donald Trump in the race.[1]
DeSantis visited Davenport and Des Moines on Friday, the same week that Trump announced his first trip to Iowa since he began his campaign in November.[2] On Monday, Trump will speak in Davenport and is expected to receive endorsements from eastern Iowa leaders.
A Des Moines Register/Mediacom Iowa Poll found that 74 percent of Iowa Republicans view DeSantis favorably, nearly on par with the 80 percent who view Trump favorably.[3] However, Trump has higher unfavorable ratings, with 18 percent of GOP voters viewing him unfavorably compared with 6 percent who said the same about DeSantis.[4]
The poll also showed that if Trump were to be the Republican nominee again 74 percent of Iowa Republicans say they would likely vote for him in the 2024 general election – although the number of Iowans who say they would “definitely” vote for him has decreased by more than 20 percentage points since June 2021.[3]
Trump has become increasingly critical of DeSantis and has accused him of trying to “kill ethanol”, an important issue to Iowa farmers.[5] Trump has also attacked DeSantis for his past move to end a prized ethanol mandate that requires renewable fuel to be blended into the nation’s fuel supply.[6]
DeSantis’ event in Davenport was filled with two-time Trump voters who said they liked his policies but now view DeSantis as a more effective leader for Republicans.[7] “The one thing I could say if you talk to Floridians, there’s no drama in our administration. There’s no palace intrigue. They basically just sit back and say, Okay, what’s the governor going to do next? And we roll out and we execute, and we do things and we get things done,” DeSantis said.[8]
The former president looks to be in for a showdown with DeSantis, as the Florida Governor appears to be in peak physical condition and ready for combat. “Holy cow, @GovRonDeSantis looks FIT and ready for combat.[9]
0. “NEW IOWA POLL: How Iowa Republicans feel about Presidential Hopefuls” kwwl.com, 10 Mar. 2023, https://www.kwwl.com/news/politics/new-iowa-poll-how-iowa-republicans-feel-about-presidential-hopefuls/article_4d227768-bf4d-11ed-9d89-eb024e7559f9.html
1. “Ron DeSantis Snags Donald Trump Ally as Rivals Set to Collide in Iowa” Newsweek, 10 Mar. 2023, https://www.newsweek.com/ron-desantis-kim-reynolds-trump-ally-iowa-1787017
2. “Ron DeSantis Visits Iowa, With Donald Trump On the Way, as a 2024 Rivalry Builds” The Wall Street Journal, 11 Mar. 2023, https://www.wsj.com/articles/ron-desantis-heads-to-iowa-where-some-republicans-hunger-for-trump-alternative-77ee7622
3. “Trump sees support drop among Iowa Republicans” The Hill, 10 Mar. 2023, https://thehill.com/homenews/campaign/3894225-trump-sees-support-drop-among-iowa-republicans/
4. “Iowa Poll shows Trump less favorable to Iowa GOP; New Iowa Drought Plan shows dry areas in NW Iowa” KWIT, 10 Mar. 2023, https://www.kwit.org/podcast/spm-news-english/2023-03-10/iowa-poll-shows-trump-less-favorable-to-iowa-gop-new-iowa-drought-plan-shows-dry-areas-in-nw-iowa
5. “Ron DeSantis is privately telling people he willl run for President” Daily Mail, 10 Mar. 2023, https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-11844383/Ron-DeSantis-privately-telling-people-willl-run-President.html
6. “Ron DeSantis throws shade at Trump and Biden in Iowa speeches” Yahoo Life, 11 Mar. 2023, https://www.yahoo.com/lifestyle/ron-desantis-throws-shade-trump-183738265.html
7. “Signing books and holding babies, DeSantis tests his retail skills in Iowa” The Washington Post, 11 Mar. 2023, https://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/2023/03/10/ron-desantis-iowa-2024/
8. “Is Ron DeSantis running for president? Florida governor moves his presidential ambitions into the open with Iowa visit” WPVI-TV, 10 Mar. 2023, https://6abc.com/florida-governor-ron-desantis-running-for-president-iowa-2023/12938907
9. “Ron DeSantis ‘ready for combat’ as he loses weight ahead of 2024 presidential battle” The Telegraph, 10 Mar. 2023, https://www.telegraph.co.uk/world-news/2023/03/10/ron-desantis-donald-trump-weight-loss-us-election-2024/
