GOP strategist Karl Rove has said that Iowa is “do or die” for Ron DeSantis, with avoiding a damaging defeat crucial if the Florida governor hopes to beat former president Donald Trump in the race for the Republican presidential nomination.
DeSantis has invested much of his campaign resources in Iowa ahead of its first-in-the-nation GOP caucuses on January 15, in an effort to defeat Trump, who remains the overwhelming frontrunner.
Rove, a senior official in former President George W. Bush’s administration, said DeSantis’ campaign may not recover if he loses in Iowa, despite the backing of Iowa Gov. Kim Reynolds and Bob Vander Plaats, an influential evangelical leader in the state.
“Iowa is do or die,” Rove said on Fox News.
Republican presidential candidate Ron DeSantis on November 17, 2023 in Des Moines, Iowa. The state is a “do or die” battle for the Florida governor, a former GOP campaign manager has said. Jim Vondruska/Getty Images
DeSantis is “putting a lot of effort there[…]he has the support of the popular governor, Kim Reynolds. He won the support of a leader in the evangelical community, Vander Plaats.”
Rove added: “Yeah, he’s got to run[…]If he comes in third in Iowa, it’s very problematic for him because it doesn’t get better for him in the next two sets of contests.”
Newsweek has contacted the DeSantis campaign for comment via email and Rove for comment via his website.
DeSantis advisers believe denying Trump a “big win” in Iowa is key to creating a path for him to win the nomination, according to a campaign memo obtained by The Associated Press earlier this month.
“Everyone can universally agree that if Trump were to win big in Iowa, it would create media and political momentum for his candidacy that would be difficult to stop heading into New Hampshire,” advisers wrote in the memo.
“Additionally, a Trump loss or even a close battle in the Hawkeye State will reveal his political vulnerabilities and inspire Republican voters across the country who are either in the ‘not for Trump’ or ‘consider Trump and others’ camps.”
The memo said that Nikki Haley and other candidates “are, at best, simply playing the role of spoiler—exponentially increasing the odds of a Trump nomination.”
Vander Plaats’ endorsement of DeSantis has angered Trump, who accused him of “scamming” candidates. Vander Plaats fired back on social media, saying his endorsement was never for sale and that Iowa “will exhibit higher standards when they choose @RonDeSantis over a chump.”
According to FiveThirtyEight’s average of polls, Trump remains in first place in Iowa with 44.7 percent support, followed by DeSantis with 17.5 percent. Haley, the former governor of South Carolina, has 15.3 percent.
Uncommon Knowledge
Newsweek is committed to challenging conventional wisdom and finding connections in the search for common ground.
Newsweek is committed to challenging conventional wisdom and finding connections in the search for common ground.
Source link
About the Author
admin
This author has not added a biography. Meanwhile admin has contributed 4073 posts.
Click here
to view them.
