DES MOINES, Iowa – Freezing temperatures, heavy snowfall and slippery roads are presenting complications for 2024 hopefuls as they fight to cross Iowa in the home stretch and appeal to voters in below-freezing weather on January 15.
A blizzard hit Iowa earlier in the week, dumping several inches of snow and prompting campaigns to cancel events on Monday and Tuesday.
Candidates will have more surprises from Mother Nature in mind, as additional snow is forecast for Friday and negative-degree temperatures are projected for the weekend leading up to caucus day.
“That’s going to be a challenge,” Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis told reporters when asked about the brutal forecast for caucus night.
“I think our voters are the kind of people who are going to come out. “They vote.”
DeSantis had his own weather dilemmas at home with multiple tornadoes sweeping through the Sunshine State this week. He assured reporters that Florida was “in good shape” and prepared for that storm.
The 45-year-old delivered the State of the State address from Tallahassee and then returned to Iowa, but he forgot something important: his winter jacket.
Florida Governor Ron DeSantis forgot to pack a winter jacket for his latest trip to Iowa. REUTERS Iowans have a history of facing frigid weather during the caucuses. REUTERS
“I actually have a winter coat and I forgot it,” DeSantis joked to a crowd at the Associated Contractors of America Conference in Des Moines on Wednesday.
“So the next people who come from Tallahassee will bring it up,” he added. “I looked at the forecast for Monday. “I think I’m going to need a lot more than that.”
His wife, Casey DeSantis, recently braved the weather and knocked on his 3 millionth door of the campaign cycle, the DeSantis-aligned Never Back Down Super PAC confirmed Wednesday.
All of its main rivals have seen their operations disrupted in some way by the winter weather.
On Monday, former South Carolina Gov. Nikki Haley was forced to cancel her “Pick Nikki Countdown to Caucus” event in Sioux City.
Nikki Haley canceled an event due to the weather. AP
Businessman Vivek Ramaswamy criticized her for the cancellation, joking to an Iowa audience that “If you can’t stand the snow, you’re not ready for Xi Jinping.”
The next day, his campaign canceled three events in the northwest part of Iowa. Despite slippery roads, Ramaswamy held more events than any of his rivals.
During one of his events in Pella, he was forced to confer with voters via iPad due to dangerous driving conditions.
Vivek Ramaswamy has continued with his energetic itinerary despite the difficult travel conditions. fake images
Ramaswamy explained that he has instructed his staff not to take risks if conditions are too dangerous.
That same day, former President Donald Trump’s campaign announced that actress Roseanne Barr was pulling out of her planned appearance in Boone.
Trump has relied heavily on surrogates to represent him in the Hawkeye State as he addresses legal and other issues on his agenda.
The Post observed dozens of abandoned cars on the sides of major roads on both Monday and Tuesday.
Numerous cars ran off major highways in Iowa as a result of the ice. fake images
The Iowa State Patrol says it handled more than 200 crashes and 600 drivers from Monday into early Wednesday morning.
A major 2024 Republican contender who is effectively avoiding Iowa also couldn’t escape the bad weather: former New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie, who rode through a snowstorm in New Hampshire.
“I didn’t cancel. We don’t cancel. We don’t cancel. As you can see, I like to talk too much,” Christie joked during a town hall in Rochester.
The longshot, however, dropped out of the 2024 Republican race on Wednesday, closing out his second bid for the White House just five days before the Iowa contest.
Iowa’s capital city, Des Moines, is forecast to have temperatures ranging from -3 to -20 degrees next Monday during the caucuses.
Over the weekend, snow is expected in parts of the state and temperatures will range between 20 and -17 degrees.
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Source: vtt.edu.vn