DES MOINES, Iowa – Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis’ campaign raised eyebrows Friday night by announcing that his first stop after Monday’s Iowa caucuses would be South Carolina instead of New Hampshire, the next race in the Republican Party nomination calendar.
After hosting a watch party with fans in West Des Moines on Monday night, the 45-year-old plans to fly to Greenville, South Carolina, for an event Tuesday morning before returning to the Granite State for a late-night town hall meeting with CNN, his campaign team. confirmed.
DeSantis’ campaign schedule was first reported by the Associated Press.
“This campaign is designed for the long term. We intend to compete for every available delegate in New Hampshire, Nevada, South Carolina and then through March,” spokesman Andrew Romeo told The Post.
While DeSantis’ camp insisted their man would not abandon New Hampshire before the Jan. 23 primary, polls show his standing has slipped in the state for several months.
As of Friday night, DeSantis was averaging 6.5% support in New Hampshire, a distant fourth behind former President Donald Trump (43.5%), former South Carolina Gov. Nikki Haley (29.3 %) and retired former New Jersey Governor Chris Christie (11.0%).
Ron DeSantis plans to go all out in New Hampshire and South Carolina, according to his campaign. REUTERS
In April of last year, by contrast, DeSantis had average support of 29.3% in the RCP average, exactly where Haley is now.
In South Carolina, which will hold its primary on February 24, DeSantis is also far behind with an average support of 11%, according to RCP.
Trump was well ahead with an average of 52% support, while Haley was second in her own home state with 21.8%.
Nikki Haley hopes to use New Hampshire as a springboard to the Republican nomination. REUTERS
Despite DeSantis’ poor reputation, the Florida governor’s campaign has gone out of its way to criticize Haley for her six-year stewardship of the Palmetto State before becoming Trump’s ambassador to the United Nations.
Team DeSantis has previously boasted that their candidate garnered 74 endorsements from current and former South Carolina elected officials, compared to 14 who backed Haley.
Florida’s governor even invited two of those sponsors as guests to Wednesday night’s face-to-face debate with Haley in Des Moines.
DeSantis has also intensified his attacks on Haley as he has risen in the polls, arguing that his campaign is controlled by liberal donors and that he is out of touch with the issues driving the party’s base.
Ron DeSantis has juggled his duties as governor of Florida while mounting a presidential campaign. AFP via Getty Images Donald Trump is the Republican Party’s favorite for 2024. ZUMAPRESS.com
DeSantis has bet heavily on a good performance in Iowa to transform the landscape of the Republican race.
“I think being the underdog suits me better,” he told reporters Tuesday. “Starting in Iowa, we’ll see a lot of fluidity in this.”
“We will push our campaign into overdrive in both South Carolina and New Hampshire. We hope Donald Trump is ready for a long and difficult campaign as we work to share Ron DeSantis’ vision across America. Let the game begin,” Romeo added on Friday.
In 2016, then-candidate Trump rebounded from a loss in the Iowa caucuses by sweeping the New Hampshire and South Carolina primaries, giving him a lead in the race for the Republican nomination that he never relinquished.
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