Gov. Ron DeSantis of Florida is counting on Iowa voters to “change the trajectory” of the 2024 GOP presidential race and “upend all the media narratives” when they turn out to caucus this month.
Mr. DeSantis’ closing message before the Jan. 15 caucuses has focused on his proven record of fighting for conservative causes and delivering on his promises while warning that former President Donald Trump and former South Carolina Gov. Nikki Haley are running for the wrong reasons.
“The way I view the choice between caucusgoers is you have Donald Trump running on his issues, Nikki Haley running on her donors’ issues, and I’m running on your issues,” Mr. DeSantis said Tuesday on WHO radio in Iowa. “I’m running on your family’s issues, and I’m running on this country’s issues, and I have a record of achievement down in Florida delivering on all these things and notching big win after big win.”
He added, “That’s what we need to do in this country. We need to change the trajectory, and we got to start winning again.”
Mr. DeSantis has a lot riding on a strong showing in Iowa, where evangelical and born-again Christian voters have historically played an oversized role in the caucuses.
Mr. Trump, however, has a 30-point lead in polls that show Mr. DeSantis has struggled to expand his support since the summer.
Still, Mr. Desantis was the first major contender to visit all of the state’s 99 counties — with entrepreneur Vivek Ramaswamy promising to do so twice — and the governor is betting the shoe-leather politicking will pay off on caucus night.
“I’ve done more town halls and took more questions than any candidate, and we’re happy to do that, and that’s what you need to do,” Mr. DeSantis said. “Not everyone’s willing to do that.”
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