At a pre-debate gathering in Des Moines, Iowa, on Monday night, Governor Kim Reynolds of Iowa will support Governor Ron DeSantis of Florida in the 2024 Republican primary, sources close to the situation informed CNN.
Reynolds’ attendance at the event is being promoted by the DeSantis campaign on X, formerly known as Twitter.
Reynolds has recently shown that she is inclined to support a contender, contrary to her earlier declaration that she would probably stay neutral in the GOP primary.
Additionally, Reynolds and DeSantis will be present in a meet-and-greet in Davenport, Iowa on Tuesday.
The endorsement was initially reported by NBC News and The Des Moines Register.
Reynolds’s standing with Iowan Republicans may provide DeSantis with the much-needed momentum to challenge the overwhelming favorite, former President Donald Trump, with less than 100 days to go until the Iowa caucuses, which serve as the opening round of the Republican primary.
Following Reynolds’ endorsement, the Trump team released a statement claiming the governor had “completely broken her pledge to her constituents to ensure she would remain neutral in the race.” In any case, her support will not influence the outcome of this election.
According to polls conducted in Iowa in October, Trump led DeSantis, the next closest competitor, by thirty points, and over half of prospective Republican caucus attendees backed him.
The DeSantis campaign is giving Iowa priority over other early battlegrounds in the hopes that an overwhelming victory or near-victory there will eliminate the competition and reframe the GOP primary as a contest between DeSantis and Trump.
A third of the DeSantis campaign’s team from Tallahassee was just relocated to Des Moines, and the governor of Florida has promised to visit each of the state’s 99 counties. He told CNN’s Kaitlan Collins that as of the end of last month, he had been to 83.
“That is not usually something that you will observe in polling; you shake hands and ask questions. We’re doing it correctly because it is something that comes out when people decide to caucus. On “The Source,” DeSantis declared, “I’m going to be the only contender that covers all 99 counties.”
As of early last month, Never Back Down, a super PAC that supports DeSantis, had spent $9.8 million to promote the governor on Iowa’s airwaves—more than any other political committee or campaign.
A number of well-known conservative Iowans swiftly shared their opinions on the support on Sunday; prominent evangelical leader in Iowa, Bob Vander Plaats, referred to it as a “game changer” for the primary.
When speaking of Reynolds’ impact on Iowa, Vander Plaats remarked, “She is a great competitor and exceptionally popular.” “She wouldn’t support unless she could see a way to win.”
Additionally, while Reynolds’ support “definitely helps” DeSantis’ efforts, conservative Iowa radio presenter Jeff Angelo, whose well-liked show frequently features Republican presidential candidates, stated that he still believes Trump will win in Iowa.
Although Trump has claimed to have strong support in Iowa, the governor of the state has had differing opinions about the front-runner for several months. Reynolds was targeted by Trump in July for staying impartial and showing up at events across Iowa with other candidates who had extended invitations to her.
In a social media post, the former president congratulated her on her rise to the governorship and criticized her for not standing by him. As the state’s lieutenant governor, Reynolds took over as governor when Terry Branstad was named Trump’s ambassador to China in 2017. The following year, she was re-elected to her first full term.
The other Republican contenders for president quickly sought to acquire the governor’s favor in order to counter Trump’s criticism. During a July visit to Iowa, DeSantis declared that if he were to win the nomination, Reynolds would be a possible running mate. “One of the top public servants in America,” as he put it.
In late October, during a conversation with media reporters in Iowa, DeSantis stated that Reynolds’ support “would be a huge get.”
It goes without saying that I would like her official support. It would, in my opinion, be really significant.