DES MOINES, Iowa — As the six-month sprint to the Iowa caucuses begins, the sprawling field of Republican presidential candidates is facing growing pressure to prove they can become serious challengers to former President Donald Trump.
The urgency is particularly acute for Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis, who entered the race in May with expectations that he would quickly become Trump’s top rival. For now, however, he has struggled to generate the enthusiasm that Trump commands from the GOP base.
DeSantis was among six White House hopefuls in Iowa on Friday for the Family Leadership Summit, where an audience of close to 2,000 conservative Christians gathered to see former Fox News host Tucker Carlson interview the candidates individually. Trump did not attend, though he swung through the state in recent weeks and will return Tuesday.
DeSantis and biotech entrepreneur Vivek Ramaswamy received the most raucous cheers from the packed hall in the downtown Des Moines events center, notably when they argued for a more limited U.S. military role backing Ukraine.
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Yet it was Iowa Gov. Kim Reynolds, choosing the event to sign the recently passed six-week abortion ban, who received the loudest and most sustained standing ovation when she took the stage. She is publicly neutral in the race, though she appeared with candidates in the state.
There’s still time for any of the contenders to mount a more robust challenge to Trump — but not a lot. Iowa’s first-in-the-nation caucuses are Jan. 15.
South Carolina Sen. Tim Scott impressed many with an agenda that is as conservative as those of Trump or DeSantis. Some say Scott is distinguishing himself with an aggressive outreach strategy paired with an upbeat message.
Carlson noted reports of increased interest in Scott, prompting a crack from the senator that he hoped the money would follow.
“I’m glad to hear they’re all flocking to me,” Scott said. “I wish they would go out and write the check, too, because we haven’t seen that yet. I’ve heard the stories myself, but what I haven’t seen is the millions and millions.”
Trump is the undisputed leader in Iowa, making the state crucial for anyone hoping to stop him.
“There’s no question Donald Trump is winning Iowa right now,” said Josie Albrecht, a former top Iowa GOP Statehouse communications adviser who is helping the state party. “I think there has been a lot of support for him for many years, and that’s a hard wall to crack.”
Yet Trump faces some vulnerabilities, including a feud with Reynolds over her refusal to formally endorse his campaign. His recent indictments risk becoming a liability that rivals may exploit.
In a memo shared last month with donors to the influential network started by Charles and David Koch, Michael Palmer, who leads the group’s data and polling operation, argued against what he called “the myth of Trump inevitability.” He wrote that a significant number of Trump voters remain open to a Republican alternative and he cited public polling that indicates DeSantis may be a stronger general election candidate against President Joe Biden.
Americans for Prosperity, the political arm of the Koch brothers operation, is working to explicitly undermine Trump. Since February, the group’s paid staff and volunteers have been knocking on thousands of doors a week in Iowa and raising questions about Trump’s chances in a general election, said Drew Klein, the organization’s state director. Klein told people last week they should not back Trump in the caucuses.
But a central challenge for Republicans is to hone a message that resonates with voters who backed Trump but are open to others in 2024.
Candidates who are the most blunt in knocking Trump are not making inroads in Iowa.
Former New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie, for instance, has not visited the state as a 2024 candidate and was not among the speakers Friday. He is focusing on the more libertarian voters in New Hampshire.
Former Arkansas Gov. Asa Hutchinson had an awkward exchange with Carlson on Friday when the conservative commentator grilled Hutchinson over the COVID-19 vaccine and his veto of a 2021 law banning gender-affirming treatments for transgender youth.
“Is it treatment to prevent him from going through the natural process of adolescence?” Carlson asked. “This is one of the biggest issues in the country.”
The audience applauded Carlson, while Hutchinson tried to reinforce his position that parents, not the state, should be the guiding force for children — and met with silence from the crowd.
Similarly, former Vice President Mike Pence got a tepid response when he said he “had no right to reject the electoral votes” on Jan. 6, 2021, when Congress was certifying the 2020 election results. He drew jeers when he defended his position that military support for Ukraine is a U.S. national security interest.
“Anybody that says we can’t be the leader of the free world and solve our problems at home has a pretty small view of the greatest nation on Earth,” Pence responded when Carlson challenged Pence’s commitment to domestic priorities.
DeSantis may ultimately be best positioned for a long slog against Trump. DeSantis will almost almost certainly have the financial resources to stay in the nomination fight long after Iowa Republicans vote.
