How Trump plans to 'bury' DeSantis in Iowa

18 September 2023

Former President Donald Trump seeks to "bury" Florida Governor Ron DeSantis' 2024 Republican presidential primary campaign as candidates stump their way through Iowa, Politico's Meredith McGraw and Sally Goldenberg report.

"Building on his seven visits to Iowa so far this year, Trump is embarking on a 'Team Trump Caucus Commitment' organizing event in Iowa with campaign volunteers at the Jackson County Fairgrounds in Maquoketa, and remarks at the Grand River Conference Center in Dubuque this Wednesday," Politico explains. "Trump plans to make three more stops in Iowa during the first half of October, and again in the final days of the month, his team said. The Trump campaign is also bringing on Alex Meyer, who was recently part of the RNC’s political data team, as a senior adviser to focus on both Iowa and Missouri."

Politico continues, "It's a remarkable investment of time from a candidate who has, through the summer, left a light footprint on the trail. And it's being supplemented with an air attack by Trump world as a pro-DeSantis PAC advertises aggressively in the state. MAGA Inc., the super PAC supporting Trump, is spending over $700,000 on advertising this week in Iowa, according to the ad tracking firm AdImpact. Trump's Iowa team is focused on educating and training Trump supporters on the caucus process, and the Trump campaign has boasted of 27,500 signed caucus pledge cards and 1,500 local volunteers in the state."

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Meanwhile, "DeSantis, for his part, is betting much of his political fortune on Iowa. He has been out-working Trump in the Hawkeye State, which comes with just 40 delegates but the potential for immeasurable momentum when it kicks off the grueling primary season on Jan. 15, 2024," Politico notes. "He's received 40 endorsements from state legislators, visited 58 of the state's 99 counties and campaigned alongside the popular governor, Kim Reynolds, whom Trump has publicly admonished. DeSantis' team says it has secured some 13,000 written commitments from caucus-goers."

After spending millions on ads and "acknowledging they would be satisfied with a strong second-place finish in Iowa," Politico adds, "DeSantis' team is signaling confidence in the state. He has teamed up repeatedly with Reynolds and appears to be a lead contender to receive the endorsement of high-profile evangelical Bob Vander Plaats of The Family Leader. (Vander Plaats has praised DeSantis and criticized Trump, but would not confirm last week whom he plans to endorse)."

McGraw's and Goldenberg's scoop continues at this link.

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