Tag: KIM

Iowa Gov. Kim Reynolds will endorse Ron DeSantis for president at a rally in Des Moines on Monday, sources close to both governors told NBC News.

Reynolds’ endorsement is a major boost for the Florida governor, who has gone all-in on Iowa since launching his bid for the GOP nomination in May. DeSantis is currently 27 points behind former President Donald Trump in the Hawkeye State, according to the latest NBC News/Des Moines Register/Mediacom poll — and he’s also tied for second place with rival Nikki Haley , the former United Nations ambassador catching up. to DeSantis after spending months pitching himself to GOP voters as the party’s leading alternative to Trump.

Now, DeSantis has the support of the state’s popular governor as he tries to climb back up the ladder and challenge Trump in the Jan. 15 caucuses, the first contest of the 2024 GOP presidential race. In the August poll NBC/Des Moines Register/Mediacom, more Iowa Republicans viewed Reynolds favorably — 81 percent — than any of the presidential candidates, and his support could increase DeSantis’ chances of pulling off an upset.

DeSantis’ campaign believes that beating Trump in Iowa — or at least getting close — is the way to prevent the former president from running away with the Republican nomination, and DeSantis is pooling most of his resources to try to achieve this objective. In October, the campaign moved a third of its staff from Tallahassee, Fla., to Iowa. It also used a significant portion of its available cash to make a $2 million ad buy in the state.

Iowa is also by far DeSantis’ most visited state as a candidate, and the Florida governor visited 87 counties before visiting all 99 in the state – a “full Grassley” in campaign parlance. Iowa, named for the state’s senior senator, Chuck Grassley.

Reynolds is putting her political capital on the line after initially saying she would remain neutral in the GOP primaries. She told the Des Moines Register in February that she wanted to maintain a level playing field for all Republican candidates seeking to run against President Joe Biden.

“If I give my opinion, I don’t know if they will feel welcome,” she said at the time.

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But Reynolds then changed her mind, telling Fox News in August, “I might change my mind later,” as she interviewed several of the candidates during her “Fairside Chats” at the State Fair in Iowa.

The Trump campaign, which has criticized Reynolds throughout 2023, criticized her again after announcing her support for backtracking on her initial plans to remain neutral. The Trump campaign also argued that Reynolds’ support “won’t make a difference in this race,” citing polls showing that few people are likely to shift their vote based on support. Trump’s super PAC also conducted a poll showing that few people changed their votes in the Iowa caucus after being asked about a hypothetical Reynolds endorsement.

The endorsement marks a major departure from tradition: Iowa governors have typically stayed on the sidelines before the caucuses. An approval last occurred in 1996, when then-Gov. Terry Branstad threw his support behind Bob Dole — although Branstad also backed out in 2016 to say he hoped Sen. Ted Cruz of Texas would be defeated before that year’s caucuses. Branstad’s move backfired as Cruz won the caucuses that year, a sign that big-name support is no guarantee in a campaign.

Reynolds appeared with most of the candidates vying for the nomination — but her repeated friendly appearances with DeSantis began to gain popularity over the summer. She has appeared alongside the governor at least eight times this year, before and after he announced his candidacy for president. Reynolds also appeared alongside DeSantis’ wife, Casey DeSantis, at a “Mamas for DeSantis” campaign event in July.

On stage, the two governors maintain a friendly relationship, calling each other by their first names and full of praise for their legislative achievements. They sat side by side at last month’s “Cy-Hawk” football game between the University of Iowa and Iowa State University.

That kindness drew the attention — and ire — of Trump, who sat in a luxury box above both governors at the same game, after he attacked Reynolds in a Truth Social article in July.

“I opened the governorship to Kim Reynolds, and when she fell behind, I ENDORSED her, had big rallies and she won,” Trump posted, referring to how Reynolds, then the state’s lieutenant governor, rose to Iowa’s top job when Trump nominated Branstad to be ambassador to China.

“Now she wants to stay ‘NEUTRAL’. I don’t invite him to events! Trump added.

Before Reynolds, two Republican state officials in Iowa supported other presidential candidates. State Attorney General Brenna Bird threw her support behind Trump, while state Treasurer Roby Smith backed businessman Vivek Ramaswamy.

Dasha Burns is an NBC News correspondent.

Abigail Brooks

Abigail Brooks is a producer for NBC News.

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