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Campaign Almanac: New poll shows Trump holding on to dominant lead in Iowa
Also, DeSantis to pour $2 million into Iowa ad campaign
Former President Donald Trump continues to hold a commanding lead among Iowans who plan to participate in the state’s first-in-the-nation Republican caucuses in just more than three months.
In a new poll from Iowa State University and Civiqs, 55 percent of likely Iowa Republican caucus participants chose Trump as their first choice to be the party’s nominee for president next year.
Trump’s support remained significantly larger than the rest of the field: Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis was the next choice at 17 percent and former U.N. ambassador Nikki Haley was third at 11 percent.
No other candidate was the first choice of more than 5 percent of respondents.
“It still looks like there’s Trump and everyone else, but that everyone else is clarifying to be DeSantis and Haley, with (Ohio entrepreneur Vivek) Ramaswamy and U.S. Sen. Tim Scott from South Carolina falling farther behind,” Iowa State University political science professor Dave Peterson said in a news release.
The poll is the second of five that will be conducted monthly leading up to the Jan. 15 Iowa caucuses.
The poll results reflect the responses of 425 Iowans who said they “definitely” or “probably” will participate in the Republican caucuses. The online survey was conducted between Oct. 6 and Oct. 10, and has a margin for error of plus or minus 6.1 percentage points.
Peterson said some of the respondents have been interviewed for both ISU/Civiqs polls, and that the consistency in the results shows a relative static level of support for the candidates.
“The people supporting Donald Trump last month are still supporting Donald Trump,” Peterson said. “There isn’t much movement between candidates. It looks like it’s fairly crystallized in who people are supporting.”
DeSantis to pour $2 million into Iowa ad campaign
Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis’ campaign announced Thursday it plans to make a $2 million media reservation in Iowa starting in mid-November and running through the night of the Iowa caucuses, Jan. 15.
That makes DeSantis the first candidate to reserve airtime through the caucuses, and underscores the critical importance of the state in his bid to win the Republican presidential nomination.
DeSantis’ presidential campaign said last week it will move about one-third of its staff from Florida to Iowa.
The campaign said it has 18,000 Iowans committed to caucus for DeSantis, who as of Monday had visited 74 of Iowa’s 99 counties. He is scheduled to be back in Iowa on Saturday to tour the southwest part of the state.
Former United Nations ambassador and former South Carolina Gov. Nikki Haley is also growing her campaign in the leadoff caucus state — opening a campaign headquarters in Clive and adding Iowa campaign veterans to her team in the state.
Current GOP front-runner and former President Donald Trump has also dramatically ramped up his appearances and campaigning in Iowa in recent weeks as his operation works to ensure his supporters turn out on caucus night.
The new $2 million ad buy from DeSantis shows his campaign is largely all-in on the crucial first-in-the-nation contest, wagering his hopes on Iowa as the best place to block Trump from running away with the GOP nomination.
DeSantis’ campaign reported it entered October with $5 million cash on hand, after raising $15 million across several entities in the third quarter.
Campaign officials on Thursday said DeSantis raised an additional $1 million within 48 hours of announcing the third-quarter fundraising.
Iowa Democratic Party to celebrate MLK peace prize anniversary
The Iowa Democratic Party will host an event Saturday commemorating the anniversary of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. receiving the Nobel Peace Prize.
The event, which will take place at the Iowa Capitol Rotunda in Des Moines, also will celebrate King’s civil rights and social justice legacy, according to a news release.
Saturday’s event will feature a short presentation followed by a panel discussion with state Reps. Ako Abdul-Samad of Des Moines and Mary Madison of West Des Moines, the Rev. Rob Johnson, and Heartland Area Education Agency Board Member Tiara Mays-Sims.
The Iowa Democratic Party’s in-person caucuses are being held Jan. 15, the same day as Republicans. The date also falls on Martin Luther King Jr. Day, a federal holiday.
“ (I)t’s important for Iowa Democrats to acknowledge and celebrate the legacy of Dr. King and to recognize those who are continuing his work,” according to an Iowa Democratic Party news release.
Saturday’s celebration begins at 2 p.m. at the State Capitol Rotunda, 1007 E. Grand Ave. in Des Moines.
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