Iowa will host its pivotal caucuses on Monday and Republican candidates are bracing themselves against snow and frigid temperatures to secure victory there. Donald Trump hopes a huge turnout of his supporters can give him an edge in what promises to be an intensely competitive campaign in this first caucus state.
But extreme cold could harm other Republicans, including Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis and former South Carolina Gov. Nikki Haley.
Trump’s Campaign Cancels Events
Nikki Haley and Ron DeSantis made an effort Saturday across Iowa’s freezing temperatures to find voters receptive to an alternative to former President Donald Trump, just two days before Iowa caucuses kick off the Republican primary calendar. Trump, an early frontrunner, cancelled two scheduled in-person rallies for virtual “tele-rallies.”
His absence may not matter much, though. A poll released Friday showed that likely caucusgoers view him more favorably than Florida Governor Ron DeSantis and former South Carolina Gov. Nikki Haley as their top rivals for nomination.
Chris LaCivita, one of Trump’s advisers, joked when asked about weather conditions that “wear a coat,” adding that there were contingency plans in place such as shuttle drivers to shuttle voters to caucus sites. LaCivita would not commit whether a Trump rally might occur if forecasts hold true – though he said this possibility was unlikely since National Weather Service forecast blizzard-like conditions across much of Pennsylvania on Monday.
Haley’s Campaign Cancels Events
Blizzard conditions forced most candidate events to be cancelled Friday, three days out from the caucuses. Haley held virtual events for her supporters and remains hopeful of beating DeSantis for second place in Florida.
As the blizzard hit Iowa, broken tractor-trailers filled interstates across the state and the National Weather Service issued warnings of white-out conditions and dangerous driving conditions. Haley’s campaign also cancelled some events featuring surrogates advocating on her behalf and switched others into phone town halls to keep events moving along smoothly.
Americans for Prosperity Action, an outside group supporting Haley, canvassed through the snow on her behalf Saturday. Patti Parlee, 65-year-old accountant from Urbandale said she was still undecided between Donald Trump and Ron DeSantis – though she expects her final choice won’t come until Monday night if it persists through caucus day weather delays.
DeSantis’ Campaign Cancels Events
DeSantis has been pushing Iowa voters to brave the cold for their chance at unseating President Trump, saying Iowa “is going to be essential in this fight”. On Jan 13 in Davenport he told an enthusiastic audience “Iowa’s going to be key for us”.
He strongly encouraged them to support his campaign personally if possible and declared this election “one of the most consequential elections you’ll ever vote in”.
His campaign later denied Contorno’s allegation and criticised CNN for spreading unsubstantiated lies about them.
Never Back Down, the primary super PAC supporting DeSantis, announced it will cancel all remaining TV ad reservations in Iowa and New Hampshire to allow Fight Right, another pro-DeSantis super PAC, to handle advertising there while the Florida governor focuses on his field operations. This decision comes amid DeSantis’ struggles to gain support against Haley who many voters view as more credible anti-Trump candidate than himself.
Lake’s Campaign Cancels Events
Iowa was hit with more than a foot of snow over the weekend, forcing GOP candidates to cancel events and abandon their campaign schedule for Monday night’s caucuses. DeSantis nonetheless expects supporters of his candidacy to come out.
He claims his grassroots organization of precinct captains are helping bring supporters to caucuses sites, with those unable to attend being encouraged to ask friends or neighbors for rides if possible. “It’s essential that all those who wish to vote make their presence known at these caucuses,” he told reporters Friday at his campaign headquarters in Urbandale.
Predicting record voter turnout in Arizona’s general election, Trump predicted it would be propelled by enthusiasm from his base supporters and from independent candidate Kyrsten Sinema’s strong showing as well as that of Rep. Ruben Gallego and their respective campaigns to replace outgoing GOP Governor Brad Little.
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