Campaign Almanac: DeSantis, Ramaswamy to participate in CNN town halls in Iowa

Republican presidential candidates Ron DeSantis and Vivek Ramaswamy will appear on town halls held in Iowa and televised by CNN next week, the cable news network reported Tuesday.

Grand View University in Des Moines will host the town halls.

DeSantis, the governor of Florida, will appear with CNN’s Jake Tapper on Tuesday, Dec. 12, at 8 p.m.

Ramaswamy, a biotech entrepreneur from Ohio, will appear with CNN’s Abby Phillip on Wednesday, Dec. 13, at 8 p.m.

The candidates will take questions from the moderators and a live audience of Iowans who intend to participate in the Iowa Republican caucuses on Jan. 15, CNN said.

In addition to showing on CNN, the town halls will stream live on CNN Max, and will be available on demand to pay TV subscribers via CNN.com, CNN apps and Cable Operator Platforms.

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New DeSantis ad urges Iowans to ‘move on’ from Trump

A new ad from Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis’ presidential campaign features a series of Iowa voters explaining why they support him over Donald Trump, urging voters to move on from the former president.

One voter, identified as Kristine, calls DeSantis “drama free, an effective and proven leader.”

Ross Paustian, a former state representative and Scott County supervisor who has endorsed DeSantis, is shown in the ad saying “we’ve got to move on” from Trump.

The ad is part of a more than $2 million buy in the first-in-the-nation caucus state that will run through the Jan. 15 caucus day. A previous ad from the campaign featured clips of Iowa Gov. Kim Reynolds announcing her endorsement of DeSantis.

Gazette-Lee Des Moines Bureau