As Florida Governor Ron DeSantis scrambles to shore up his struggling run for the Republican presidential nomination, he's spent more than any rival on courting an influential Christian conservative leader and his following in the key state of Iowa
by beating him in the state’s caucuses on Jan. 15, where Republicans begin to choose their next presidential nominee. The state’s influential evangelical voting base is crucial to that strategy.
“It’s a lot more money” than you typically see allocated in Iowa, said Steffen Schmidt, an emeritus political science professor at Iowa State University who studies political spending in the state. “It is a large amount for a very limited exposure in a booklet and for a single event,” he said. Vander Plaats said there was no link between money and his endorsement. “My endorsement has never been and never will be for sale,” Vander Plaats said. “My only interest is in bold, courageous, principled leadership for this country.”
Vander Plaats has long touted the power of his endorsement. In a 2015 email sent to a conservative group and reviewed by Reuters, he took credit for Santorum winning in Iowa in 2012. “We endorsed Rick Santorum and he stormed to a caucus victory due to our base of supporters,” Vander Plaats wrote. The fundraising document, reviewed by Reuters, lists contacts at Republican presidential campaigns, super PACs and other groups supporting the candidates, and details how much each was willing to spend ahead of the mid-July Family Leader forum, among the largest gatherings of social conservatives in Iowa before the caucuses. Six Republican presidential candidates spoke at the event.
Never Back Down paid for a two-page advertisement and dinner tickets for $50,000, according to the document and the group’s filings with the Federal Election Commission .
United States Latest News, United States Headlines
Similar News:You can also read news stories similar to this one that we have collected from other news sources.
Is Ron DeSantis getting ready to rock and roll?Syndicated columnist Susan Estrich: It's certainly about time for Ron DeSantis, who remains the main challenger to front-runner Donald Trump, to stop pulling his punches.
Read more »
Trump needles DeSantis with Iowa State Fair entourageDonald Trump is set to attend the Iowa State Fair on Saturday with an entourage of guests seemingly meant to get under the skin of the former president's top rival in the GOP presidential primary: the nine Florida Republicans who snubbed Gov. Ron DeSantis (R-FL) by endorsing Trump for president.
Read more »
Hank Sanders open letter to Ron DeSantis says teaching that slavery had benefits ‘terrible lie’“Gov. DeSantis, slavery did not provide benefits to enslaved Black people but rather robbed them of every benefit,” former Alabama state Sen. Hank Sanders wrote, calling Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis to denounce the “fraudulent interpretation of our history.”
Read more »
Report: Ron DeSantis 'Prepping Weekly' for First Republican DebateFlorida Gov. Ron DeSantis is reportedly “prepping weekly” for the first Republican debate, set to take place on August 23 in Milwaukee, Wisconsin.
Read more »
Tim Scott closes in on DeSantis in new Iowa pollSen. VoteTimScott has surged to third place in Iowa, five months before the 2024 Republican primary election's opening caucuses. Scott has gained 10 percentage points since the same poll was conducted in April.
Read more »
Ron DeSantis Says He Would Drone Strike Mexico to Fight CartelsFlorida Gov. Ron DeSantis said Thursday that he would be open to dropping bombs on U.S. ally Mexico in an apparent bid to fight the country’s pervasive drug cartels.
Read more »