Iowa Gov. Kim Reynolds on Monday endorsed Republican Ron DeSantis’ candidacy as the party’s presidential candidate, a welcome boost for the Florida governor as he tries to narrow the former Iowa governor’s lead over the president. Donald Trump in the polls.
“Ron has focus, principles and results,” Reynolds told a crowd of cheering supporters at a rally in Des Moines, where DeSantis also took the stage.
“And in short, what I like most about Ron is that he makes things happen.”
The support is unlikely to change the fundamental dynamics of the Iowa race, currently dominated by Trump. But DeSantis’ campaign has been seeking Reynolds’ endorsement for months, according to several people close to the campaign, and endorsements from popular political leaders often move the race by a few percentage points.
According to a Des Moines Register/Mediacom poll released in late October, 43 percent of likely convention attendees planned to vote for Trump, while DeSantis and former U.S. Ambassador to the United Nations Nikki Haley had 16 percent support . The other candidates were in the single digits.
The Midwestern state plays a key role in the race for the Republican nomination, being the first to select a preferred candidate. Local party meetings where voters decide who to support take place on January 15.
Reynolds, 64, is popular among Iowa conservatives. About 81% of likely Republican state meeting attendees approve of him, according to an August poll by the Des Moines Register.
Like DeSantis, Reynolds turned to “culture war” issues as governor. He has signed bills to limit the teaching of gender and sexuality topics in public schools and has banned transgender students from using bathrooms aligned with their gender identity, among other measures.
Source: Terra
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