Raw: [Iowa voters have mixed opinions on whether Kim Reynolds’ support will boost the DeSantis campaign.]
Skip to Main Content
POLITICO
Politico Logo
Congress
Pro
E&E News
Search
Search
WASHINGTON & POLITICS
Congress
White House
Elections
Legal
Magazine
Foreign Affairs
2024 ELECTIONS
News
GOP Candidate Tracker
STATE POLITICS & POLICY
California
Florida
New Jersey
New York
GLOBAL POLITICS & POLICY
Brussels
Canada
United Kingdom
POLICY NEWS
Agriculture
Cannabis
Cybersecurity
Defense
Education
Energy & Environment
Finance & Tax
Health Care
Immigration
Labor
Sustainability
Technology
Trade
Transportation
NEWSLETTERS
Playbook
Playbook PM
West Wing Playbook
POLITICO Nightly
POLITICO Weekend
The Recast
Huddle
All Newsletters
COLUMNISTS
Alex Burns
John Harris
Jonathan Martin
Michael Schaffer
Jack Shafer
Rich Lowry
SERIES & MORE
Breaking News Alerts
Podcasts
Video
The Fifty
Women Rule
Matt Wuerker Cartoons
Cartoon Carousel
POLITICO Live
Upcoming Events
Previous Events
Follow us
Twitter
Instagram
Facebook
My Account
Log In
Log Out
Optics
Ron DeSantis got the popular Iowa governor’s endorsement. But does it really matter?
Iowa voters have mixed opinions on whether Kim Reynolds’ support will boost the DeSantis campaign.
Kale Iadcham, 25, is undecided. “I think a lot of people support the governor in this state and her support for Ron [DeSantis] is absolutely gonna boost him.”
By Photographs by Jamie Kelter Davis
11/08/2023 02:12 PM EST
Link Copied
Landing Iowa Gov. Kim Reynolds’ endorsement was the first bit of good news for Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis seemingly in forever.
Suddenly, the narrative surrounding his campaign wasn’t about his lagging fundraising or weak polling — or his rival Nikki Haley’s rise.
Instead, as DeSantis joined Reynolds in front of crowds of supporters in the first-in-the-nation caucus state, he looked like a candidate still very much in this race. He was, Reynolds said, someone who “gets things done.” She called the Florida governor “one of the most effective leaders that I have ever seen.”
The lasting impact of the endorsement is doubtful, of course. Endorsements can matter in presidential races. Just look at what Rep. James Clyburn’s backing did for now-President Joe Biden ahead of the South Carolina primary he rode to the nomination in 2020.
But the problem for DeSantis is that the frontrunner in the GOP primary isn’t some Republican equivalent of a Pete Buttigieg or, even, Sen. Bernie Sanders.
It’s Donald Trump.
And as much as Iowa Republicans may like Reynolds, they like the former president a lot, too. A Des Moines Register/NBC News/Mediacom Iowa Poll last week showed Trump running ahead of DeSantis and Haley, the former South Carolina governor, by 27 percentage points.
Where a Reynolds endorsement could truly matter for DeSantis is in the race for second place. In the Iowa poll, he was tied with Haley at 16 percent. DeSantis is banking it all on Iowa, having shifted staff and resources there. He needs to emerge as the leading alternative to Trump. The lift Reynolds can provide DeSantis may just be by making it close.
Republican presidential candidate Ron DeSantis is introduced by Iowa Gov. Kim Reynolds at a campaign stop at Machine Shed in Davenport, Iowa, on Nov. 7, 2023, after Reynolds endorsed him the night before.
Sherrie Wilson (left), 68, and her husband Ken, 69, both DeSantis supporters. “[Reynolds has] got a lot of political clout and I think that clout will come through and work very well for Governor DeSantis,” Sherrie said.
Russell Connor, 50, leaning Trump. “It doesn’t seem like [DeSantis] could move the needle … It would probably take more people to get out of the race.”
As DeSantis joined Reynolds in front of a crowd of supporters in Des Moines on Monday night, he looked like a candidate still very much in this race.
Crowds lined up outside Machine Shed in Davenport on Nov. 7 to hear Reynolds and DeSantis speak.
Rowdy Templer, 71, Trump supporter. “I really don’t think it’s going to make that much of a difference. The people that support President Trump, for instance, are just absolutely there for President Trump.”
Phyllis Suttek (left) and Sharon Omvig, DeSantis supporters. “It means a great deal. Governor Reynolds is a very popular governor, extremely popular.”
Matt Wells, 43, DeSantis supporter. “With two months left, she’s going to spend her own political capital on this. I think the courage that that took can not be downplayed.”
People filled the room as DeSantis spoke in Davenport on Nov. 7.
DeSantis needs to emerge as the leading alternative to Trump. The lift Reynolds can provide DeSantis may just be by making it close.
Jeanne Sodawasser (left), 40, and her daughter Atalyssa, 16. Jeanne is a DeSantis supporter. “I’m worried if [DeSantis] wins, about Kim being the Vice President and us losing Kim. She’s amazing, she’s done so many great things for this state.”
Ann Hanson, 67, DeSantis supporter. “I was a Trump supporter, and there’s a lot of things I still like about Trump, but I’m starting to get concerned that maybe we need to clean house on every level.”
DeSantis and Reynolds wave on stage after she endorsed him for president at a rally in Des Moines on Nov. 6.
David Siders contributed to this report.
Filed under:
Campaigns,
Iowa,
Nikki Haley,
Donald Trump,
Donald Trump 2024,
Endorsements,
Ron DeSantis,
Kim Reynolds,
2024 Elections
POLITICO
Link Copied
About Us
Advertising
Breaking News Alerts
Careers
Credit Card Payments
Digital Edition
FAQ
Feedback
Headlines
Photos
POWERJobs
Press
Print Subscriptions
Request A Correction
Write For Us
RSS
Site Map
Terms of Service
Privacy Policy
Do not sell my info
Notice to California Residents
© 2023 POLITICO LLC
