The gloves are off in the 2024 Presidential primary race. Ron DeSantis, according to numerous reports, has privately told allies he is in the running. Publicly, he said he’ll make a decision in May after his state’s legislative session. Expect him to announce then.
To get ahead of the curb, former President Trump is already swinging.
Trump stopped in Iowa for his first real campaign tour. He had visited other places and made some speeches, but this is the first time he’s pressing the flesh, visiting the state just to contact voters. He stopped in Davenport where he spoke with voters at a local diner and had a pow-wow with the press.
He didn’t mince words when it came to Governor DeSantis. In a bombshell statement he said he regretted his endorsement of DeSantis in the 2018 primary for governor. Even before he got into Iowa, President Trump was asked by reporters on the plane enroute if he regretted his endorsement of DeSantis, “Yeah maybe, this guy was dead. He was dead as a doornail. … I might say that.”
And this time, Trump got specific of policy when talking DeSantis, signaling a shift in his approach towards his likely opponent. “Ron ‘DeSanctus’ strongly opposed ethanol, do you know that? And we don’t even know if he’s running … he strongly opposed ethanol and fought against it at every turn, and he’s gonna do that again.” Iowa is the nation’s strongest producer of corn, used to make ethanol.
Polls show mixed results for both candidates, but with Trump still sitting pretty. A poll from the University of North Florida polled their state, this is the first poll to come out on Florida since November. DeSantis is looking strong with DeSantis at 52% and Trump at 27%.
However, will that success carry beyond the governor’s home state? A Pennsylannia poll released this week has Trump at 49% and DeSantis at 31%. And a new national poll by YouGov has Trump at 45% and DeSantis at 29%.
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