Questions about what Florida Governor Ron DeSantis’ second-place finish means for his campaign moving forward are circulating as the race now moves to New Hampshire and South Carolina. DeSantis finished in second place on Monday night in Iowa.
On Monday night, DeSantis exceeded several polling predictions, finishing at about 21%, despite the Real Clear Politics average of polls placing him at 15.7% prior to the vote. But in a state where DeSantis had gone “all in” with his campaign’s time and resources, Trump won with almost 50% of the vote, the greatest margin of victory in Iowa Caucus history.
Highlighting the performance, the DeSantis team declared that the governor of Florida “earned his ticket out of Iowa.”
Former ambassador Nikki Haley came in third place, a few points behind DeSantis, despite the opinion of many commentators that she was dominating in Iowa and might perhaps surpass him.
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“They threw everything at Ron DeSantis,” a senior DeSantis campaign official said late on Monday night on Fox News Digital. “They failed to murder him. Not only is he still upright, but he has also earned the right to leave Iowa. There will be a protracted struggle ahead, but that is the purpose of our effort. This country is playing with too much at risk, and we will not back down.”
DeSantis addressed his fans with a confrontational tone during his speech on Monday night.
“I can tell you, because of your support, in spite of all of that they threw at us, everyone against us, we’ve got our ticket punched out of Iowa,” DeSantis stated.
DeSantis stated, “It is our duty to hold this light and protect this holy fire of liberty. “We appreciate all of your hard work. We are grateful for your help. You were instrumental in getting us a ticket out of the state of Iowa. Even though there is still a lot of work to be done, I promise that if I am elected president, I will complete the task at hand for the sake of this nation. I swear to you that I won’t offer any justifications. I’m not going to fail you.”
Even though DeSantis came in second place, there will probably be concerns about whether he has the support and resources to challenge Trump in other states.
Prior to Monday night’s caucuses, Kellyanne Conway, a former senior counselor to President Trump, stated on Fox News that DeSantis “should continue on whether he finishes second or third.”
Brit Hume, chief political analyst for Fox News, noted that a GOP nominee has often been secured after placing second in Iowa.
As the results came in on Monday night, Hume stated, “Let’s not forget that second place has led to a lot of people winning the nomination in Iowa; you finish second in Iowa it’s worth something.” There are many locations where it wouldn’t be, and it won’t be as much in the upcoming races, but here, when you rank second, you advance.
DeSantis and the other candidates have been asked to get out by social media users in the wake of Trump’s historic and resounding victory on Monday night, which he won by roughly 30 points.
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“The most difficult choice a presidential contender can have to make is whether or not to withdraw. Hours before the Iowa votes were counted on Monday night, GOP strategist Alex Conant, founding partner at Firehouse Strategies, told Fox News Digital, “It’s deeply personal and emotional, no matter how obvious or rational it seems.”
“DeSantis’ campaign will essentially be done if he fails to defeat Trump in Iowa tonight. He will not defeat him anyplace else. However, when he decides to stop, that’s up to him, and nobody can predict.”
DeSantis has stated repeatedly that he intends to stay in the race regardless of the results of Monday’s Iowa poll. He will do two campaign rallies in South Carolina on Tuesday before traveling to New Hampshire to continue his campaign.
According to DeSantis Communications Director Andrew Romeo, “this campaign is built for the long-haul,” on January 12. “We plan to fight for every single delegate that becomes available in South Carolina, Nevada, New Hampshire, and then into March. The Iowa Caucus is on Monday. The following day, we will intensify our campaign in South Carolina and New Hampshire.”
As we seek to spread Ron DeSantis’ vision throughout the nation, we hope that Donald Trump is prepared for a protracted and tenacious campaign. It’s game on.”
Delegates are awarded proportionately in Iowa, therefore the top four candidates will each receive a certain number.
As of right now, South Carolina and New Hampshire polls both show Trump with sizable leads. The average pollster for Real Clear Politics indicates that the former president is leading in both New Hampshire and South Carolina by 14 and 30 points, respectively.
Haley’s home state of South Carolina is where the DeSantis campaign has highlighted his endorsements, pointing out that he has earned more than she has.
“DeSantis has already built up an impressive grassroots organization, despite the fact that South Carolina is Nikki Haley’s home state,” a campaign spokeswoman recently told Fox News Digital. “Haley only has 14 endorsements from current and former elected officials, compared to 74 for him.” DeSantis has 19 state legislators in comparison to Haley’s 11.”