Former President Donald Trump’s persistent flirtation with another White House run is doing little to discourage other potential Republican candidates from stepping up their activity in Iowa.
DES MOINES, Iowa — Former President Donald Trump’s persistent flirtation with another White House run is doing little to discourage other potential Republican candidates from stepping up their activity in Iowa, the state that will formally launch the 2024 nomination process.
His status as a former president who remains deeply popular with the GOP base “doesn’t mean someone else with the right message couldn’t appeal to them in a way that really cuts into Trump’s support,” said David Kochel, a veteran Iowa Republican campaign strategist. Federal and state election officials and Trump’s own attorney general have said there is no credible evidence the election was tainted. The former president’s allegations of fraud were also roundly rejected by courts, including by judges Trump appointed.
The GOP’s full court press in Iowa won’t likely begin until after the November midterm elections. But the party has already committed to maintaining the state’s status as home to the first nominating contest. That’s in contrast to Democrats, who are taking the boldest steps in a generation to revise their calendar and potentially concentrate power in states that are more racially diverse.
Despite the activity, it’s unclear that anyone visiting the state is gaining much traction among Iowa GOP activists at this early stage. During recent interviews with a dozen county Republican activists, GOP consultants and donors, much of the focus was on Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis, who has yet to visit the state. The closest he’s come is as a guest of Nebraska Gov. Pete Ricketts’ at a September fundraiser south of Omaha.
Influential Republican donors, such as retired insurance executive Cam Sutton of suburban Des Moines, describe DeSantis as similar to Trump on policy, “but without the tweets.”
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