DAVENPORT, Iowa — Just a day after Iowa Gov. Kim Reynolds announced her endorsement for GOP candidate Ron DeSantis, the two stopped at a Davenport restaurant to meet with voters. Over 200 people attended the campaign event at the Machine Shed restaurant Tuesday morning.
Julie Troyer said Reynolds' support prompted her to come see the Florida governor, according to reporting from the Associated Press.
"It sure puts him in a more positive light for me," the print shop owner said. Troyer, from Iowa City, waited for a handshake as Reynolds moved through the room chatting with the crowd before she and DeSantis spoke. Afterwards, she said, "I'm closer to supporting him now than when I got here, but I need to hear more."
Senior advisers for DeSantis are outlining a difficult path to the Republican presidential nomination that can succeed only by first denying former President Donald Trump "a big win" in Iowa, where the DeSantis campaign is promising to leverage the "vast statewide political operation" of his newest major endorser.
The memo, distributed late Monday to the campaign's national donor network and to another group of uncommitted billionaires known as the American Opportunity Alliance, argues that other Republican candidates, including former United Nations ambassador Nikki Haley, are at best spoilers.
Instead of cementing his place as Trump's chief rival as many expected when he entered the race, DeSantis is locked in a distant second place in Iowa with Haley, who is gaining more interest from donors and voters heading into Wednesday's third GOP debate. The memo, shared with The Associated Press, pointed to Reynolds' surprise endorsement — a rarity for sitting Iowa governors before the caucuses — as proof that DeSantis could cut into Trump's margins.
"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," reads the memo, penned by campaign manager James Uthmeier, deputy manager David Polyansky and senior adviser Ryan Tyson.
"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 advisers wrote.
The memo argues that Haley and others "are, at best, simply playing the role of spoiler — exponentially increasing the odds of a Trump nomination."
Haley's advisers and other campaigns reject that DeSantis is the leading Trump alternative. And so far it's unclear how much Reynolds' endorsement will ultimately help him with fewer than 70 days left before the Jan. 15 caucuses.
DeSantis may be banking most on the 64-year-old Reynolds' popularity within the state's conservative base and her abilities of political persuasion. Reynolds also presents an upbeat public persona that could complement the sometimes rigid DeSantis.
"She very quickly has learned how to deploy political power and how to play in the big game — and how to win," said John Stineman, a Republican strategist who has managed Iowa caucus campaigns. "But the bigger potential differentiator is she's willing to go persuade. And she will convey with enthusiasm to people she knows are prone to listening to her."
The new DeSantis memo points to the political infrastructure that he and an allied super PAC have established across several early voting states. While his footprint is far smaller than initially envisioned because of fundraising troubles, the memo notes that DeSantis' team still has four offices and 13 paid staff in New Hampshire and another five offices and 23 staffers in South Carolina.
In Iowa, the memo claims "there will soon be 50 dedicated paid staff" and the organizing help of Reynolds, who has her own statewide operation.
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Peoples reported from New York.
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