Iowa Gov. Kim Reynolds plans to give a big endorsement to Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis on Monday, a source familiar told The Post.
Traditionally, Iowa governors remain neutral in the Iowa Caucus race, but DeSantis has been courting Reynolds for months.
Reynolds’ endorsement of DeSantis will also be significant because he will oppose the party’s former presidential candidate. The DeSantis campaign previewed an event with Reynolds in Des Moines on Monday.
“BIG NEWS! Governor @KimReynoldsIA will be joining @RonDeSantis at his rally in Des Moines TOMORROW NIGHT!” the campaign wrote.
Her impending endorsement comes amid growing competition in the polls from former South Carolina and U.S. ambassador to UN Gov. Nikki Haley.
News of Reynolds’ upcoming endorsement was first reported by NBC News and the Des Moines Register.
Iowa is first in the national race for the 2024 GOP nominating contest and will be held on January 15 of next year.
Donald Trump’s allies have recently flooded the airwaves with attack ads against the Sunshine State governor, though the former president remains the front-runner in the Hawkeye State.
Trump is ahead of DeSantis by a whopping 31.5 percentage points, according to the latest aggregate from RealClearPolitics. DeSantis gets 17.3% support on average, while Haley gets 11.5%, combined.
Ron DeSantis has been courting Kim Reynolds since he launched his presidential campaign in May. AFP via Getty Images
The Trump campaign quickly shrugged off news of the endorsement, pointing to a poll that concluded: “If any of the state’s first governors decided to endorse DeSantis, it would only swing the race about a net 4 percentage points in their favor.”
“Kim Reynolds has apparently begun her retirement tour early, as she clearly has no ambitions to hold higher office,” the Trump campaign said.
“President Trump is the undisputed leader of the Republican Party and that is why he not only leads every Iowa poll by significant margins, but also beats corrupt Joe Biden in the general.”
The 77-year-old former president had a friendly relationship with Reynolds during his presidency, but previously became angry with her during the election campaign.
“I opened the governor’s seat for Kim Reynolds, and when she fell behind, I APPROVED her, held big rallies, and she won. She now wants to remain ‘NEUTRAL’. I don’t invite her to events! DeSanctus dropped 45 points! Trump wrote in Truth Social in July.
Donald Trump raged at Kim Reynolds over the summer in response to a report showing she was getting close to Ron DeSantis.Getty Images
His attack on Reynolds at the time came in response to a New York Times report about his approach to DeSantis.
Reynolds has seen a mix of different Republican contenders, but previously suggested he would likely remain neutral.
“I’m not going to tell Iowans what to do,” he said at one point.
Trump lost Iowa to Sen. Ted Cruz (R-Tx.) during the 2016 election cycle, but still managed to reach the Republican nomination.
The Post has contacted Reynolds’ office for comment.
Later this week, DeSantis will join his fellow Republicans on the Republican debate stage in Florida for the third verbal fight of the cycle.
Trump appears willing to skip the verbal sparring and instead hold a rally nearby.
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