Following a quick swing in South Carolina, Florida Governor Ron DeSantis will return to his campaign on Tuesday, the day after finishing second in the Iowa Republican caucuses. He will address voters at an AWN town hall in New Hampshire.
Major obstacles are forming for DeSantis in New Hampshire, where he is trailing behind former South Carolina governor Nikki Haley and former President Donald Trump, who easily won Iowa. The fact that independents in New Hampshire are able to cast ballots in intraparty races contributes to the state’s more politically diversified primary electorate.
There is no better time for DeSantis to hold the town hall than now. He launched attacks on conservative media outlets that he had previously supported while his campaign faltered in Iowa. New Hampshire might be a better place for that critique to gain momentum. His more venomous attacks on Trump will do the same, according to the DeSantis campaign.
On Monday night in Iowa, DeSantis made a statement that he will “get the job done for this country” as the next president, before taking a shot at the front-runner. “I promise I won’t disappoint you, and I won’t make excuses either.”
Here are four topics to keep an eye on at DeSantis’s AWN town hall as the GOP race gets underway:
Regarding Iowa…
Trump won nearly half of the vote in Iowa less than twenty-four hours ago. DeSantis invested much in the state, which, on paper, ought to have been fertile ground for his conservative platform. However, Haley, who focused more on New Hampshire than Iowa and did not campaign as extensively there, finished just barely ahead of him.
Following the announcement of the results, the DeSantis campaign and the candidate himself emphasised their commitment to the cause. But where did Iowa go wrong? For their lenient coverage of Trump, DeSantis started attacking right-wing media outlets a week prior to the caucuses. The governor made the comment during a rally in Urbandale, Iowa, asserting that a “Praetorian Guard of the conservative media,” which includes Fox News, was protecting Trump from criticism. Is he going to keep criticising in that vein?
Still, losing by 30 points and failing to win any of Iowa’s 99 counties isn’t easy to brush off. Candidates want to share stories, even if the electorate in New Hampshire and (to a lesser degree) South Carolina is extremely different. After his poor trips to Iowa, what type of story will DeSantis spin?
The Expectations Game
In contrast to Iowa, DeSantis will start the race in New Hampshire with little support. He claims to enjoy the role, but his campaign is in dire need of positive news after falling short of expectations in Iowa. The governor of Florida will most likely attempt to define success for himself in New Hampshire, and it will be illuminating to see his standards.
Trump(39%) and Haley (32%), according to last week’s AWN poll of the New Hampshire GOP primary, did not give DeSantis much to hold to. Also finishing ahead of DeSantis, with 5% of the vote, were former New Jersey governor Chris Christie(12%) and software entrepreneur Vivek Ramaswamy (8%), neither of whom has remained in the campaign. On Monday night, Ramaswamy pledged his support to Trump, while Christie has been noticeably quiet. However, Haley appears to have the best chance of re-engaging his former followers.
Even DeSantis, who skipped New Hampshire entirely in favour of a quick trip to South Carolina following the caucuses, is well aware of all of it. It was very clear: He thinks there’s more opportunity in the south than in the north. Regardless of how tempting it may be for him at the moment, he cannot avoid New Hampshire. The way DeSantis handles the challenge ahead will shed light on his future, at least in his own eyes.
Is DeSantis more critical of Trump?
According to AWN’s Iowa entry poll, conservatives who are seeking a candidate who matches their principles are more likely to support DeSantis than Haley.
The Florida governor has never understood Trump’s strategy for gaining conservative support without turning off more of his base than he wins over.
A more forceful strategy against Trump was hinted at by DeSantis in the days leading up to the Iowa caucuses. He spoke to a gathering in Ankeny on Sunday, accusing Trump of putting his own interests ahead of the party’s and failing to fulfil his campaign pledges from 2016.
Even if you’re the most ineffectual Republican in the country, he’ll still think you’re great if you kiss the ring. No amount of strength, energy, or accomplishment as a Republican or conservative in the United States will protect you from his attempts to discredit you, according to DeSantis. “A nominee should prioritise you, not himself, because you deserve it.”
Still, among Republicans who are inclined to vote for him in the primary, Trump’s popularity surged due to the four criminal indictments he is facing. Even DeSantis, one of his 2024 opponents, refrained from directly criticising him for his legal troubles arising from his involvement in the January 6, 2021, rebellion, his suspected handling of secret documents, and other issues; they didn’t try to alter that fact.
Haley’s case in opposition to DeSantis
If Haley wins in New Hampshire, the GOP primary may become a one-on-one showdown between Trump and his former US ambassador to the UN, a scenario that Haley has long considered a stepping stone for her campaign.
On Tuesday, DeSantis travelled to South Carolina before moving on to New Hampshire, signalling that he isn’t departing anytime soon.
It is Haley’s home turf in the Palmetto State. There is a clear demographic advantage for Trump and DeSantis in South Carolina, where evangelicals constitute a sizable portion of the GOP primary electorate. While arguing to Republican voters (and contributors) that the campaign will remain a three-person contest regardless of his performance in New Hampshire, the governor of Florida is probably thinking about those voters.
In Greenville, South Carolina, DeSantis made his Tuesday morning remarks about his second-place result in Iowa. He said that this solidifies his position as the “alternative” to Trump and Haley, arguing that Haley will fail to win over core conservative supporters.
He claimed that DeSantis had been defeated in Iowa despite Haley and her supporters’ best efforts to put an end to his campaign.
“Their goal was to defeat me, and they were unsuccessful,” he stated. It will become clear to you as we progress; she will also lose in New Hampshire. Considering her poor performance in discussions, it’s clear that’s the case.
