DeSantis Touts Conservative Credentials Days Before Iowa Caucus
(Bloomberg) -- Ron DeSantis pitched Iowa voters days ahead of their caucuses by branding himself as a Republican outsider who can bring order to the southern border, ease inflation and promote a US energy revival.
Most Read from Bloomberg
SEC Says FBI Is Investigating Compromise of Agency’s X Account
Boeing CEO Fights Back Tears and Admits ‘Our Mistake’ in 737 Address
Bitcoin Near $46,000 After ETF Approval Decision: Markets Wrap
“If you’re an Iowa conservative, who best represents your values of anybody running?” the Florida governor asked voters gathered at a Fox News town hall in Des Moines on Tuesday night. “I’ve delivered for conservatives more than anybody that’s running.”
DeSantis, who has struggled to make the case that he’s the best alternative to Donald Trump and Nikki Haley, has staked much of his political capital on a strong showing in Iowa to prolong a campaign for the Republican presidential nomination that began with great anticipation but quickly ran into difficulty.
His robust door-knocking and canvassing operation has attracted endorsements from Iowa Governor Kim Reynolds and Bob Vander Plaats, a prominent evangelical leader. Still, polls show Trump with a commanding lead in the state, with Haley, a former South Carolina governor and United Nations ambassador, running neck-and-neck with DeSantis in the most recent polls.
Most of the questions on Tuesday allowed DeSantis to revisit well-known positions and themes. On immigration, for instance, he said if inaugurated he would immediately declare a national emergency “including the military to stop the invasion.”
He spoke crisply and remained poised, even when briefly interrupted by protesters in the audience, who were quickly ejected.
Asked about Trump’s appearance earlier Tuesday at a US appeals court hearing regarding his claim that he’s immune from prosecution over his efforts to undo the 2020 election, DeSantis predicted that the judges would rule against him.
Earlier: Haley Sees Possibility of a Federal Ban on Late-Term Abortions
Republicans have suffered a series of electoral defeats attributed chiefly to a widespread backlash over the Supreme Court’s 2022 decision to overturn the nationwide right to abortion. Still, restrictions on the procedure remain popular with conservative and evangelical voters.
DeSantis — who signed legislation in Florida imposing a ban on most abortions after six weeks and has said he would support a federal 15-week ban — on Tuesday sought to differentiate his abortion stance from those of Haley and Trump.
He accused Trump, an abortion opponent before and during his presidency, of a “flip” on the issue. He said Haley has indulged in “left-wing tropes.” At an Iowa Fox News town hall on Monday night, Haley said, “we’ll find consensus that no state law should say to a woman that gets an abortion, that she’s going to jail or getting the death penalty.”
She told the audience that a broad agreement could be reached to outlaw late-term abortions but Congress was unlikely to enact more restrictive prohibitions.
A new Suffolk University/Boston Globe/USA Today poll of the New Hampshire primary found that 46% of likely voters say they intend to vote for Trump, compared to 27% who support Haley, 12% for former New Jersey Governor Chris Christie and 8% for DeSantis. According to a CNN poll, Haley has edged closer to the former president in New Hampshire — 39% of likely Republican voters preferred him to 32% for her.
--With assistance from Christian Hall.
(Updates with new polls, in final paragraph.)
Most Read from Bloomberg Businessweek
Trumponomics 2.0: What to Expect If Trump Wins the 2024 Election
Tropical Underworld: The Murder Case That Could Topple an Alleged Crime Empire
US Is Weaponizing New Economic Tools to Slow China’s War Machine
©2024 Bloomberg L.P.
