Florida Governor Ron DeSantis, accompanied by Iowa Governor Kim Reynolds, inaugurated a second campaign office in the Des Moines metro on Saturday morning, just hours before former President Donald Trump hosted a rally in Fort Dodge. The event drew a diverse crowd of bundled-up Iowans, including lawmakers, lobbyists, and activists, eager to hear the governors speak.
Governor Reynolds, a staunch endorser of DeSantis, addressed the crowd, expressing confidence in the Florida governor’s potential impact on the nation. “If you like what we’ve done here in Iowa, then you are going to love what Ron DeSantis will do for this country,” she declared.
The Urbandale office supplements the existing Des Moines headquarters and signifies the DeSantis campaign’s intensified efforts in the final weeks leading up to the Jan. 15 Iowa Caucus. In the most recent Des Moines Register/NBC News/Mediacom Iowa Poll, DeSantis and former U.N. ambassador Nikki Haley are tied for second place, each holding 16% of likely Republican caucusgoers’ first-choice preferences, while Trump leads with 43% support.
DeSantis, buoyed by Reynolds’ endorsement and a busy statewide campaign schedule, pledged to “keep working hard” to win over Iowan supporters. When asked about closing the gap with Trump, DeSantis emphasized that many Iowans “haven’t made firm decisions yet,” citing the recent Iowa Poll indicating that 54% of likely Republican caucusgoers are open to considering alternative candidates.
“Every piece of data shows that you’ve got to be able to get a broad swath of conservative voters to have any chance to compete with Donald Trump, and I’m the only candidate that has the opportunity to do that,” DeSantis asserted.
Governor Reynolds echoed DeSantis’ optimism, stating, “Iowa breaks late,” emphasizing the significance of the state’s voters making decisions closer to the caucus date. She expressed confidence in DeSantis as the winning candidate, citing the strength of his ground game, engagement, excitement, policy, and record.
Both DeSantis and Reynolds criticized Trump for skipping numerous candidate forums in Iowa, including the recent event with the Family Leader. Reynolds emphasized the expectations of Iowans, stating, “They expect him to earn their votes, and he’s just not doing it.”
The DeSantis-aligned Political Action Committee, Never Back Down, has taken the lead in campaigning for the Florida governor in Iowa, boasting six offices and nearly 50 paid staff members between the PAC and the campaign. DeSantis has actively covered almost all of Iowa’s 99 counties, as illustrated by a map in the Urbandale office adorned with colorful sticky notes marking his visits.
The office opening coincided with a packed campaign weekend for DeSantis and his first lady, Casey DeSantis. The governor participated in the Family Leader’s Thanksgiving Forum on Friday night, and the DeSantises are set to deliver the keynote address at an anti-abortion event on Saturday evening.
