Governor Kim Reynolds and Governor Ron DeSantis discuss similar experiences
Gov. Kim Reynolds says “it’s really important that we put the right person in office.”
Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis unveiled a new wave of endorsements in Iowa Friday morning, following his high-profile endorsement of Iowa Gov. Kim Reynolds.
Former U.S. Rep. Greg Ganske, who represented Iowa from 1995 to 2003, and Craig Hill, a longtime Iowa Farm Bureau executive, top the list of 24 new DeSantis supporters in Iowa.
“The country is tired of the chaos that would mark another term of Trump. In my opinion, DeSantis is the best Republican candidate to win the presidency,” Ganske said in a press release, echoing Reynolds’ opinion on the race. “I hope my friends support him in the Iowa caucuses as I will.”
Other new DeSantis supporters include county-level Republican officials, school board and city council members, law enforcement officers and activists.
The DeSantis campaign and super PAC have built Iowa’s largest ground operation this cycle, with dozens of staff working full time in Iowa and nearly 500,000 doors knocked on. DeSantis visited 88 of Iowa’s 99 counties.
This rollout in Iowa has been accompanied by a significant amount of support from state and local leaders. Forty-one state lawmakers have supported DeSantis, many of whom rallied behind him and Reynolds in Des Moines on Monday. According to a press release issued Friday regarding the campaign, 120 county chairmen pledged their support to the Florida governor.
However, DeSantis still trails former President Donald Trump in state and national polls. The most recent Des Moines Register/NBC News/Mediacom Iowa poll, conducted in October, found that 43 percent of likely Republican caucus-goers chose Trump as their top choice for president.
DeSantis tied with former U.N. Ambassador Nikki Haley for second place, with both at 16 percent. Despite his significant investment in Iowa, DeSantis lost 3 percentage points between the August and October polls in Iowa.
Reynolds, who is viewed favorably by 81% of likely Republican caucus members, said she believes DeSantis can win the Iowa caucuses regardless of the current poll, and she hopes to tout his accomplishments across the board. ‘State.
“Ron moves the needle,” she said. “I’m just here to tell his story – to make sure people look at the record and know what he did and why I think he’s the right person for this job, the right person at the right time. And so I’m going to say it again and again, and I won’t miss an opportunity to do it. When I’m up for it, I’m all in.
Brianne Pfannenstiel contributed reporting.
Katie Akin is a politics reporter for the Register. Contact her at [email protected]. Follow her on Twitter at @katie_akin.