Iowa’s sparsely populated northwest is a key GOP caucus battleground for both Trump and DeSantis

By THOMAS BEAUMONT
Associated Press

ROCK RAPIDS, Iowa (AP) — Some of the most contested real estate for Iowa’s Republican caucuses is a vast, wind-swept plain where hogs outnumber people by the millions. Northwest Iowa is the evangelical Christian heart of conservative Iowa. Both Donald Trump and Ron DeSantis have invested in appealing to politically influential evangelicals in the region. Republican candidates in Iowa aren’t talking as much about abortion rights, due in part to concerns that the issue is a winning one for Democrats. But many voters and pastors in northwest Iowa say abortion is still their central focus. Some criticize Trump for opposing a national abortion ban and support DeSantis for approving a six-week ban in Florida.