DeSantis argues Iowa governor’s support may help him stop Trump — and labels his rivals as spoilers

Published November 7, 2023 3:03 AM

By STEVE PEOPLES and THOMAS BEAUMONT
Associated Press

DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) — Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis’ senior advisers are outlining a difficult path to the Republican presidential nomination that starts by denying Donald Trump a large win in Iowa. The DeSantis campaign is promising to leverage the “vast statewide political operation” of his newest major endorser, Gov. Kim Reynolds. It argues Nikki Haley and other rivals can’t beat or come close to Trump in Iowa and therefore can only be spoilers. Haley and other campaigns reject that reasoning and note DeSantis hasn’t met initial expectations that he would be a stronger rival to the former president. DeSantis’ push comes ahead of Wednesday’s third Republican primary debate.

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