Out in the Open
Reports are that Iowa Gov. Kim Reynolds will formally endorse Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis for president at a rally in Des Moines tonight.
The news is not really a surprise, given how it has seemed that Reynolds has favored DeSantis from the start. She said repeatedly that she would be neutral, then flipped on that, saying she might endorse a candidate closer to the time of the caucuses, now 70 days away.
The idea of being neutral was to ensure all candidates had a fair shot at campaigning in Iowa, and I agree that was the correct course. That did not sit well with Donald Trump, who accused Iowa’s governor of being disloyal.
I had earlier suggested that she would only make a formal endorsement if the race got closer, if it would actually make a difference. Why burn political capital otherwise?
Last week came a poll showing DeSantis’ support in Iowa was less than half of what it was two months ago, and that he was tied for second in Iowa with Nikki Haley. Apparently the need to preserve DeSantis’ second place status in the race was the impetus for the Reynolds endorsement; her blessing won’t put him over the top to win, but it may be needed to make sure he continues on to New Hampshire.
The worst kept secret in recent years in Iowa politics will now be out in the open; Iowa’s governor has a favorite in the race for president. This might allow some others who have been quietly supporting DeSantis to be more vocal, but again, there’s a lot of ground to make up—and the need to hold on to the silver medal.
Iowa’s top evangelical leaders openly supported DeSantis, and his support dropped. Now Iowa’s top statewide elected official is openly for him. That may work with party regulars, most of whom never like Trump anyway. But will the party regulars outweigh the large number of loyal Trump supporters when it counts, on caucus night? That’s the key, and the Trump team will need to focus on grassroots turnout efforts…because the party hierarchy is openly against him.
