It’s up to DeSantis to persuade us to switch sides: Iowa voters hint they’re ready to ditch Trump if they like what he’s saying as he launches campaign in crucial state primary
- Early primary voters still wondering if they’ll support Donald Trump or Ron DeSantis in the 2024 presidential election
- Comes as DeSantis prepares for his campaign launch event in Des Moines, Iowa
- ‘I voted for Trump in 2016 and 2020, I might move on to someone else if I like what he says,’ a restaurant customer told DaiyMail.com ahead of DeSantis’ trip on Tuesday.
Voters in Iowa are eagerly waiting to hear from Ron DeSantis as former President Donald Trump’s most formidable top contender prepares for his campaign kick-off event in Des Moines on Tuesday night.
Several Republicans in the first state of the primary contest told DailyMail.com they wanted to know what Florida Governor DeSantis was talking about before making a final decision on whether they would vote for him or Trump in 2024.
DeSantis officially announced his candidacy for president last week and kicks off the so-called Great America Comeback Tour on Tuesday with a swing through the early primary contest states of Iowa, New Hampshire and South Carolina.
Whit, a Des Moines-based rideshare driver, told DailyMail.com on Monday night that he believed if DeSantis won the nomination, he could go on to beat President Biden — he’s not sure Trump can do that. even.
Julie, a 42-year-old mother of two who stops for coffee before work on Tuesday morning, said she wanted to ‘hear what it was all about’ before deciding whether to vote for Trump or DeSantis in the Republican primary.
Ron and Casey DeSantis head to Iowa on Tuesday for the first leg of the Florida governor’s campaign kickoff
Republican voters in the nation’s top primary contest state told DailyMail.com they want to know “what DeSantis is about” before deciding whether they want him as the GOP nominee in the 2024 presidential election.
Several diners shared with DailyMail.com their skepticism about the choice between Trump and DeSantis so early in the game, with one saying: “I voted for Trump in 2016 and 2020, I could move on to someone else if I like what he says.”
It was difficult to get anyone to commit to whether they would absolutely vote for DeSantis in the primary race, with most saying they don’t yet know enough about the Florida governor to make up their minds.
But there are still some diehard Trumpers in Des Moines who say they won’t give up on the former president in his third bid for the White House.
“I love DeSantis, but I think he should have waited until 2028,” Jack, a retiree from Des Moines, told DailyMail.com.
After kicking off in Des Moines at Eternity Church on Tuesday night, Governor and Florida First Lady Casey DeSantis will travel to four more states in Iowa ending Wednesday at a racetrack in Cedar Rapids.
Next, the couple will travel to New Hampshire for a four-city tour of the tiny northeastern state, followed by another three-city day trip to South Carolina on Friday.
DeSantis then plans to fly straight back to the start of the trip in Des Moines, Iowa, on Saturday for GOP Sen. Joni Ernst’s Roast & Ride fundraiser.
DeSantis’ first stop to kick off his campaign is at Eternity Church (pictured) in Clive on Tuesday night and serves as a nod to evangelical Christians who wield outsized influence in the Republican presidential caucuses across the country Iowa.
Ron DeSantis (pictured in Iowa on May 13) will kick off his presidential campaign with a visit to an Iowa mega-church as he prepares to hit 12 cities in the top three states in the primary contest this week – ahead of turn around on Saturday to return to des moines
“As military veterans, Joni and I understand the importance of supporting those who have served our nation – and I am thrilled to have the chance to do so at the annual Roast & Ride,” DeSantis said in a statement on the stop supplement.
“Over the past few months, Casey and I have had the pleasure of knowing hard-working patriots in the great state of Iowa,” he added. “Florida and Iowa have led the way in the fight for our way of life — and I’m running for president to lead that fight in the White House. Our mission is simple: we are building a movement to restore America.
DeSantis clearly understands the importance of winning over Iowa’s Republican primary voters if he is to beat Trump in 2024.
“We are in competition everywhere. Iowa is very important,’ the governor told Fox & Friends on Monday. “We have received incredible support. I was endorsed by 37 lawmakers there before I even announced my candidacy.
“We obviously have a lot in common with Iowa in terms of what Florida did and what they did under Governor Kim Reynolds,” he added. “And I think the outpouring of support has been really, really strong. We will press the case.
