Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis made a brief appearance Friday afternoon amid Iowa’s blizzard in a bid to show that his 2024 presidential campaign is the most weather-resistant
DeSantis, his wife Casey, son Mason and Iowa’s Gov. Kim Reynolds stopped by his campaign headquarters in Urbandale, Iowa, located just outside of Des Moines, for a meet-and-greet with campaign volunteers.
‘We can handle the snow even though we’re a Florida-based campaign,’ DeSantis said. ‘We’ve got people knocking on doors in the snow, we’re out here doing events, we’re not stopping.’
Less than 30 minutes before, DeSantis’ Never Back Down super PAC announced that the rest of the governor’s appearances Friday had been cancelled amid freezing temperatures, snow flurries and winds that have wreaked havoc across the state – three days before the Iowa caucuses.
DeSantis has run what should be a successful campaign in Iowa, traveling to all 99 counties and earning the endorsement of Reynolds, the state’s popular Republican governor, but the latest Hawkeye State poll has him fighting for a distant second place against former U.N. Amb. Nikki Haley.
Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis, his son Mason and wife Casey arrive to meet campaign volunteers in Urbandale, Iowa, located just outside of Des Moines. The impromptu appearance was scheduled after most of DeSantis’ official campaign schedule was scrubbed due to the snow
Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis (center) waves to campaign volunteers and reporters alongside wife Casey and son Mason (center right) and Iowa’s Republican Gov. Kim Reynolds (right), who endorsed DeSantis in November
Friday’s Iowa State/Civiqs poll found that 55 percent of likely caucusgoers planned to support former President Donald Trump.
And then 14 percent said they’d back DeSantis and another 14 percent said they’d pick Haley when Republicans are gathered at caucus sites all across the state Monday night.
Bad weather has more of an impact on caucuses than primaries because voters have to physically be on-site to participate and can’t vote absentee.
That has had the campaigns scrambling to make sure that their voters are energized and will show up, despite the current Des Moines weather forecast saying that the low on Monday will reach negative 17.
At the same time, Friday’s snowfall marked the second time this week that campaign appearances had to be scrubbed due to dangerous driving conditions.
Haley announced Thursday night that all of her Friday campaign appearances would be virtual.
Her campaign cited ‘potentially dangerous weather conditions.’
A new Iowa poll that was released Friday found that 55 percent of likely caucusgoers planned to support former President Donald Trump, while just 14 percent said they planned to vote DeSantis (pictured), the same percentage supporting former U.N. Amb. Nikki Haley
Reporters gaggle with Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis as he made a stop at his Urbandale, Iowa campaign headquarters to meet with volunteers. DeSantis had to scrap most of his Friday schedule, so made the Urbandale appearance instead
Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis did make his planned campaign stop Friday morning in Ankeny (pictured), which is also located just outside of Des Moines, before the bad weather threw a wrench in the rest of his schedule
DeSantis made his first event Friday morning in Ankeny, which is also located just outside of Des Moines, Iowa’s largest city and the state capital, but the rest of his schedule was scrapped by lunchtime.
He then made the appearance in Urbandale instead.
DeSantis said he decided to show up in the snow ‘because we want to win.’
‘We’re here to get every vote we can. Leave nothing on the table,’ he said. ‘We’re not going to rest between now and caucus night. Look the element – I’ll brave whatever we need to do.’
‘So if you have to go trudge through snow, to be able to earn the vote, you trudge through snow to be able to win the vote,’ DeSantis continued.
Former President Donald Trump returned to Palm Beach Thursday night after spending time in court in New York City Thursday.
Friday’s temperatures there were in the 80s.
He’s set to return to Iowa Saturday for a series of weekend rallies.
His surrogate Kari Lake, the failed Arizona gubernatorial candidate who’s now running for Senate, was scheduled to appear in Pella, Iowa Friday night.
Ralph Reed of the Faith & Freedom Coalition is already looking at how the chilly weather will impact turnout in the state, but guessed hardy Iowans would show up even in uncomfortable conditions.
‘Prior to these weather reports indicating this sort of polar vortex weather pattern that we’re going to have, we had it projected in our model that somewhere between 200 to 220,000’ caucusgoers, he said.
A blizzard and frigid temperatures are causing the cancellation of political events in the final days before the Iowa Caucuses
Wind chills were predicted to hit -45 degrees, as Iowans prepare to head to caucus sites on Monday
Former UN Ambassador Nikki Haley scrubbed her Friday events, even as she has enjoyed a small bump in the polls
Watch out! Ron DeSantis cancelled his later events Friday. He and wife Casey DeSantis are relying on a ground operation in Iowa
Iowans are being warned they could face frostbite with as little of 10 minutes of skin exposure to the elements
DeSantis supporters brought signs to a CNN debate in Des Moines. But can he turn out his backers on caucus day?
A political yard sign for former President and current Republican candidate hopeful Donald Trump sits in the snowy shoulder along a road near Reasnor, Iowa. Trump’s camp says his commited supporters will show up
Entrepreneur Vivek Ramaswamy had scheduled multiple campaign events Friday. He campaigned in Cedar Rapids on Thursday
Iowa Department of Administrative Services plows snow on top of the Capitol parking ramp as blizzard conditions hit Des Moines, Friday, Jan. 12, 2024.
Thanks for the lift: DeSantis made it to his first event in Ankeny, but the super PAC Never Back Down cancelled later scheduled appearances
‘If you ended up with high winds and it’s snowing sideways, you know, maybe,’ there would be an impact, he told reporters on a call Thursday.
But the veteran of caucuses going back to 1984 said Iowans take their role in the caucuses ‘very seriously.’
‘They play a cherished role in the selection of the president United States … They’ll meet these candidates multiple times … I mean, if you’ve lived in Iowa for more than six months, there’s nothing really particularly surprising about a cold snap.’ He referenced a prediction that Trump supporters, who skew older, wouldn’t turn out. ‘I’m just not buying it,’ he said.
Trump senior advisor Chris LaCivita said Trump’s supporters are ‘very committed’ and would turn out not matter what.
‘Nothing’s changed,’ he said Wednesday amid the dire forecast. ‘The weather changes a little bit but I’m not joking when I say just wear a coat. I mean, you know, you’re literally going to the caucus, you’re walking, you’re going. I mean, this is Iowa, they know how to handle the weather,’ he said.
‘We have a very committed group of voters who as the President said on numerous times, would walk over glass to vote for him. So we know the intensity favors us.’
DeSantis made a similar argument Friday in Urbandale.
‘I think our voters are people that are, by and large, committed caucusgoers,’ he said. ‘They’ve signed up with us, they’re in it, they’re going to turn out, I think we’re confident in that.’
He added though that he believed overall turnout could be impacted calling the weather ‘a major wildcard.’
Trailing in the polls, entrepreneur Vivek Ramaswamy kept his political schedule Friday, wrapping his decision in the flag and taking a dig at his rivals as he has previously.
‘George Washington braved the weather to cross the Delaware,’ he posted on X Friday morning. ‘Another snow day in Iowa, another day of events for us. First event starts in 1 hour. We’ll continue to every last one for as long as we can *physically* make it.’
Shovel ready: Residents of Des Moines were already digging out, but being advised not to travel
The state will be a the center of the action politically Monday as Donald Trump faces his rivals in the caucuses
Des Moines and other Iowa cities got slammed with snow, which continued to accumulate Friday
Iowans are experienced contending with snow, but wind chills will pose health hazards
It takes a village: The East Village neighborhood of Des Moines was able to keep streets passable, but people were being advised to avoid travel altogether
Then he cautioned: ‘We honor the Iowa caucus process. I encourage everyone in these communities to be safe & respect their decisions today, as we continue to do our best to show up.’
Authorities were urging Iowans not to travel, and with up to a foot of snow predicted, there were warnings that gusty winds would continue to cause hazards by blowing fallen snow on Saturday.
Iowans weren’t the only ones getting walloped by winter weather.
Every state in the country has been issued with a weather warning, as the Midwest prepares to be hit with up to a foot of snow.
Multiple weather hazards are impacting the country with the National Weather Service having now issued a weather alert for every state.
Blizzard, tornado, flood, avalanche and wind alerts have all been triggered, with one wind alert stretching nearly 2,000 miles from Texas to New England.
Heavy snow is currently spreading across the Midwest, with the NWS reporting that one to two inches has been falling every hour.
Forecasters have already warned that areas of Montana, particularly Lewistown and Havre, will see temperatures plunge to -48F due to extreme wind chill.