Lucida As he tries to stave off growing interest in the rival presidential candidacy of former South Carolina governor Nikki Haley—a former constituent—Gov. Ron DeSantis is bringing in more support in Iowa.
State Senator Josh Kimbrell of South Carolina, a staunchly conservative lawmaker who has supported controversial legislation in his state akin to that supported by Republican Governor Ron DeSantis in Florida, will accompany the Republican governor on his Thursday and Friday visits to Iowa. There, he plans to offer an insight from the Palmetto State regarding its former leader, he told CNN.
In a phone interview on Wednesday, Kimbrell said, “I know Governor Haley, and I have no personal ill will against her, but I can’t point to any significant conservative accomplishment in her tenure as governor and I have found it difficult to nail down where she stands on positions.” “I know what she did, and I know what she claimed to have done.”
The fact that Kimbrell is traveling to a state that is roughly 1,000 miles away from his own highlights how urgent DeSantis’ campaign is to stop Haley’s advance, especially with the Iowa caucuses on January 15 less than three weeks away and the former president Donald Trump still holding sway there.
In the midst of all the campaigning, DeSantis’s closing argument is also coming together. He has compared himself to a “change agent” in recent interviews and campaign appearances; this framing implies that we should move past not just Joe Biden but also the alleged failings of the Trump administration and the so-called establishment Republicans in Washington who, according to him, are supporting Haley.
In a video that his team just published, audio from his CNN town hall is mixed with film of DeSantis campaigning and advocating for a number of populist policies, such as term limits for Congressmen and the dispersal of federal agencies across the nation. DeSantis will keep expressing that message in the final weeks leading up to the Iowa caucuses, according to a source with campaign-related information.
As stated in the film, “I want real, serious structural change.” by DeSantis.
Whether these are the final breaths of a campaign running out of Hail Marys or the last moments before a resurgence that DeSantis’ most ardent fans and advisors still feel is within the range of outcomes will ultimately be determined by Iowa caucusgoers.
The Florida governor, however, has stumbled to the beginning of a Republican primary that he had previously thought to be leading by now, and the fact that he is in this position at all in 2023 is a reflection of his failure to live up to the high standards set by his commanding victory in 2022 for reelection.
A year prior, DeSantis dedicated the days following Christmas to finalizing a second inauguration speech that aimed to reintroduce him to Republicans who were eager to move past Trump. Meanwhile, his political cronies were formulating a conservative state legislative agenda that would serve as a springboard for a presidential run. In a continuance of the cultural conflicts that will provide as material for his presidential campaign, his administration declared that a drag show performance over the holidays would be investigated.
As we approach the last few days before New Year’s, DeSantis finds himself up against a Republican electorate that is steadfastly in favor of the outgoing president. His prior legislative successes haven’t generated the expected wave of conservative fervor. Furthermore, voters who are significantly more concerned with immigration, the economy, and worldwide unrest seem to have made becoming “woke” less of a priority.
And Trump is hardly the only challenger. DeSantis is entering the final stretch of the campaign with an increased focus on Haley’s potential threat, after having spent months trying to close the gap with the former president in Iowa. This has put the Florida Republican in a two-front war that has complicated his attempts to use Iowa as a launching pad for the nomination.
There is a price for the change of heart toward Haley. Super PAC Fight Right, which is backing DeSantis’s presidential campaign, is bombarding the airwaves with advertisements criticizing Haley’s record as governor rather than criticizing Trump on television. Ads targeting Trump are not currently planned, but that might change, according to a source familiar with the super PAC’s strategy.
Haley’s team downplayed Kimbrell’s entry, pointing out that she signed legislation to enforce voter ID laws and crack down on illegal immigration. Kimbrell was elected to the state Senate in 2020, after she had left her position in Columbia. As a legislator, Kimbrell has promoted legislation that would prevent state pension investments based on environmental, social, and governance concerns, outlaw most abortions after six weeks, and restrict transgender children’s access to gender affirming care. These laws closely resemble those that Florida Governor Ron DeSantis has passed.
Her campaign spokeswoman, Nachama Soloveichik, began, “Here’s a quick refresher: Nikki is a conservative outsider who took on the establishment to put votes on the record.” “Nothing will save Ron DeSantis’s dying campaign, but it’s sad to see him resorting to such pathetic, desperate attacks.”
Haley and Kimbrell were previously acquainted when she served as governor and he was the host of a Christian talk radio program. In a case involving his son, Kimbrell was taken into custody in 2014 on suspicion of engaging in illegal sexual conduct. He claimed at the time that the indictment stemmed from a contentious custody dispute with his ex-wife. However, the charge was eventually withdrawn for lack of proof.
Kimbrell stated on Wednesday that Haley separated herself from the troubled radio personality despite previously counted him as one of her supporters, and that the incident was well documented by the local media. “I don’t hold a grudge on something from 10 years ago,” Kimbrell stated when asked about his relationship with Haley in the past.
“Her inconsistent policies worry me more,” he remarked.
According to surveys conducted among Republicans in South Carolina, not everyone in Haley’s home state shares Kimbrell’s viewpoint. Although Trump leads the field there as well, she has routinely outperformed DeSantis in South Carolina, where 71% of Republicans had a positive opinion of her, per a Winthrop University poll from November.
In the midst of DeSantis’ December drive in the early-nomination states, Kimbrell is the most recent buddy to accompany him on the campaign trip. Before Christmas, DeSantis and his proxies, like US Representative Chip Roy of Texas and Oklahoma Governor Kevin Stitt, swarmed Iowa. This Thursday, they will do it once more. At an event on Friday in Clayton County, DeSantis will be joined by Kimbrell and Republican governor of Iowa Kim Reynolds, who has endorsed him. US Representative Thomas Massie of Kentucky, who accompanied Representative Ron DeSantis to Iowa earlier this month, said on social media that he and DeSantis will be traveling to New Hampshire this weekend.
Although they are harder for the campaign to govern, additional bodies can aid in promoting the candidate’s message. This was made clear recently when Massie told a McClatchy reporter, “I don’t think they expect to win Iowa – and certainly not New Hampshire,” about DeSantis’ chances in Iowa, seeming to contradict the assurance his campaign has publicly presented.
However, you can resolve conflicts without triumphing. Simply put, you have to outperform everyone and refute their presumptions, Massie advised.
SFA Inc., a super PAC that backs Haley, quickly jumped on Massie’s comments, accusing him of “trying to move the goalposts.”
