Des Moines, Iowa
CNN
—
In his first official campaign stop, Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis took to a stage in Iowa, implicitly mocked his main rival, former President Donald Trump, and painted a dark picture of the country that he said it’s “going in the wrong direction.” and “infected” by “leftism”.
“We must choose a new direction for our country,” DeSantis said at the nation’s first state GOP caucus, insisting he could put the country on “a path that will lead to a rebirth of American greatness “.
Reading from a printed copy of a speech, DeSantis offered familiar culprits for the social ills he has railed against as governor: wake-up calls, leftism and diversity.
“We can’t have every major institution going on ideological joy rides,” he said. “We must be guided by reality. Merit must overcome identity politics. No American should have to compete in the Wake Olympics just to get a job or get into school.”
He promised to exorcise the country of these so-called ideological agendas, while pledging unspecified responsibilities for the country’s response to the Covid-19 pandemic, reigning in federal bureaucracies and ending the Trump-initiated border wall.
“If I am president, this will finally be the time when we will end this issue. We will restore the sovereignty of this nation,” DeSantis said.
After technical difficulties overshadowed a declaration of his presidential aspirations on Twitter last week, DeSantis’ first official stop as a candidate bore the more familiar hallmarks of a campaign launch. He spoke at an evangelical church outside Des Moines, a place that illustrates how faith remains an influential force for Republicans, especially in Iowa, as they choose their candidate, and is embarking on a traditional shift of three days through key initial nomination. states
As the opening contest of the GOP nomination race, Iowa plays a unique role in sizing the presidential field, even if it hasn’t proven predictive of the eventual nominee. But with a former president seeking a return to the White House for the first time in a century, the Hawkeye State will be closely watched for any sign that Trump’s grip on Republican voters is loosening.
DeSantis has spent much of the days since his announcement explaining his unconventional launch and sharpening his criticism of Trump after largely avoiding talking about the former president this spring. He has taken aim at Trump’s handling of the economy and the pandemic, accusing him of being soft on crime and ineffective.
DeSantis did not mention Trump during his remarks Tuesday. But he said it will take two terms to accomplish his list of priorities — a nod to the fact that Trump, as a former president, is limited to one term — and suggested, as he has for weeks, that the GOP must pass page about “the culture of losing” in the last election.
“It’s time for us to impose our will on Washington, DC,” DeSantis said. “You can’t do any of this if you don’t win.”
Meanwhile, the Trump campaign accused DeSantis of plagiarizing it from the Florida governor’s campaign slogan, “Great American Comeback.”
“Perhaps DeSantis’ communications staff was preoccupied with trying to douse the flames of their candidate’s ad to present their own message,” the Trump campaign said.
Although he told Fox News over Memorial Day weekend that he intends to “compete everywhere,” DeSantis said he hopes Iowa will provide a unique opportunity to contrast the “values” between him and Trump. He said his policy gains on conservative priorities, including a six-week abortion ban and new restrictions on teaching about race or LGBTQ issues, compare favorably with recent Republican victories in Iowa.
“Iowa is very important,” DeSantis told Fox News. “Obviously, we have a lot in common with Iowa in terms of what Florida has done and what they’ve done under Gov. Kim Reynolds. And I think the wave of support has been very, very strong. We’re going to press the case.”
Never Back Down, a super PAC that supports DeSantis, has spent weeks building an operation in the state, hiring staff and garnering support from dozens of lawmakers. Leading that effort is veteran GOP operative Jeff Roe, the architect of Sen. Ted Cruz’s 2016 campaign. Cruz won the Iowa caucuses that year, beating out several candidates, including Trump.
While polls continue to show DeSantis as Trump’s top challenger for the nomination, he is jumping into an increasingly crowded field, and his early moves suggest his political team is preparing for a protracted fight. After swinging through Iowa, New Hampshire and South Carolina, DeSantis will return to Iowa on Saturday for Sen. Joni Ernst’s Roast and Ride event.
The event has become a key stop for the presidential candidates — nearly the entire announced and expected field, except for Trump, has committed — and DeSantis’ willingness to participate in a traditional GOP cattle call is the ‘clearest example that he will still have to overcome. the race like the rest of the field.
Trump is also preparing for a difficult road to the nomination. While Iowa was not a competitive battleground in the midterms, he did hold a campaign rally in the state last November. He is scheduled to participate in a town hall with Fox News on Thursday in Clive, Iowa.
DeSantis’ event on Tuesday was in the same suburb of Des Moines. Before the event at the evangelical church, he and his wife, Casey, were expected to meet with 15 local Iowa pastors, according to a DeSantis campaign source familiar with the plans.
The pastors would be “praying for the family and the governor’s candidacy,” the source said.
DeSantis has been trying to make inroads in evangelical circles in the weeks leading up to the launch of his campaign. He and his wife had dinner with Bob Vander Plaats, president of Iowa-based The Family Leader, at the Florida governor’s mansion earlier this month. He addressed students at Liberty University, the Virginia university started by televangelist Jerry Falwell, in April and recently joined evangelical commentator Franklin Graham for an onstage chat at the Association’s annual meeting National of Religious Broadcasters.
Trump, meanwhile, has recently clashed with the evangelical community, accusing church leaders of “disloyalty” for not enthusiastically backing his campaign. Trump has also angered the religious right by refusing to say whether he would support a federal ban on abortion.
“Nobody has ever done more for right-to-life than Donald Trump. I put three Supreme Court justices in, who all voted and (evangelicals) got something they’ve been fighting for 64 years, for many, many years,” Trump said in January, referring to the Supreme Court’s overturning of federal abortion rights. in the Women’s Health Organization decision in Dobbs v. Jackson last summer.
As DeSantis entered the race, Vander Plaats, an influential voice in Iowa politics who has become increasingly critical of the former president, wrote on Twitter that Trump is leading the Hawkeye State, but he has a ceiling “self-inflicted”.
“DeSantis is the current favorite for Trump alternative, but needs to clean up or narrow the field,” Vander Plaats tweeted last week. “Everyone else has to demonstrate why they are the best alternative.”
DeSantis was introduced Tuesday by Reynolds, who said the Florida governor’s record compared well with how Republicans have led in his state. Reynolds is not endorsing the race, but has appeared at most of DeSantis’ events in Iowa this year.
“Politicians, we tend to talk a lot. But only a few get things done,” he said. “Only a few have the determination and the will to stand firm for us. And that’s who Ron is at his core.”
This story has been updated with DeSantis’ observations.
