Ron DeSantis continues attack on Nikki Haley in Cedar Rapids stop

CEDAR RAPIDS — Fresh off the debate stage in Tuscaloosa, Ala., Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis continued his attacks on Republican presidential primary rival Nikki Haley on Thursday in Cedar Rapids.

Remarking on his debate last week with Democratic California Gov. Gavin Newsom on Fox News, DeSantis told a standing-room-only crowd packed into a small Cedar Rapids sports bar: “I needed practice debating somebody who was almost as liberal as Nikki Haley.”

Haley, the former South Carolina governor and United Nations ambassador, is now polling second behind former President Donald Trump in the early-voting states of New Hampshire and her home state of South Carolina — and is battling DeSantis for second in Iowa, where the Florida governor has pinned his hopes.

Gender battle

Speaking at the Union Station Sports Bar & Grill in Cedar Rapids for a meet-and-greet event hosted by Never Back Down, the super PAC supporting his presidential campaign, DeSantis continued his criticism of Haley’s stance on gender-affirming surgeries for minors and bathroom access for transgender people.

The pair traded barbs during Wednesday’s GOP presidential primary debate over their past positions on the topics, with both candidates launching accusations against one another on the issue.

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DeSantis claimed Haley “killed” a bill during her term as governor of South Carolina that would have prevented biological males from using female restrooms.

Haley, during the debate, accused DeSantis of lying about the matter.

Haley said she believed while she was governor that there wasn't a “need to bring government into” the situation and insisted that boys should “go into boys' bathrooms and girls go into girls' bathrooms.”

Recognizing that the “issue has exploded” from what it was during her tenure as governor, Haley said she believed at the time that anyone who had an issue with that policy should “use a private bathroom.”

“What I have always said is boys go into boys’ bathrooms, girls go into girls’ bathrooms," she said, adding that transgender girls playing sports is ”the women's issue of our time.“

Haley clapped back at DeSantis, arguing when he was running for governor and they asked him about the issue, he said he didn't think bathroom bills were a good use of his time.

DeSantis, though, ultimately signed into law a measure in May that prevents transgender people from using bathrooms that align with their gender identity in public schools, universities, government buildings and prisons.

“I actually got it done,” DeSantis told the crowd in Cedar Rapids. “I protected the girls. You (Haley) didn’t. I stood up. You (Haley) caved. That’s just the reality or the situation.”

DeSantis also bashed Haley over her position on banning gender-affirming surgeries for minors. He touted a law he signed that prohibits the prescription of puberty-blocking, hormone and hormone antagonist therapies to treat gender dysphoria in minors. It also bans gender-affirming medical procedures or surgeries for those younger than 18.

“She opposes that bill,” DeSantis said during the debate of Haley.

“When we can’t even as Republicans agree that it’s wrong to chop off the private parts of a 14-year-old kid, what is going on in this party that we can’t just have everyone say that’s wrong?” DeSantis said in Cedar Rapids.

“So in Florida we stood up against that. We said it’s wrong. But the idea that somehow that’s the parents’ choice — parents do not have the right to abuse their kids,” he said to applause.

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Haley said DeSantis is lying about her record.

“I said that if you have to be 18 to get a tattoo, you should have to be 18 to have anything done to change your gender,” Haley said to applause from the audience.

Haley also said the Florida Parental Rights in Education law, which DeSantis championed and signed into law last year, does not go far enough. That law bars instruction on sexual orientation and gender identity in kindergarten through third grade.

‘Candidate can’t cave,’ DeSantis says

The attacks come as DeSantis tries to persuade GOP influencers and donors that he is the sole candidate to reclaim the White House.

Haley has attracted support from big donors and Americans for Prosperity, the political arm of the influential conservative network led by billionaire Charles Koch. AFP Action, in its endorsement, promised to commit its nationwide coalition of activists to help Haley defeat Trump in the GOP primary contest.

“We can't have a typical establishment politician that will just cave to these people, cave to the left, cave to the media, cave when things get tough,” DeSantis said in Cedar Rapids. “And if there's anybody running that showed that he's willing to stand strong and fight for you, I'm the guy that's done that.”

While having been endorsed by influential Republicans in the first-in-the-nation GOP caucus state — including Iowa Gov. Kim Reynolds and Christian conservative leader Bob Vander Plaats, president and CEO of the Family Leader — in recent weeks DeSantis’ campaign has been plagued by infighting and dysfunction and remains far behind Trump in recent polling of the state’s likely caucusgoers.

How can he catch Trump?

Asked what he needs to do differently in the weeks leading up to the caucuses to eat into Trump’s lead, DeSantis said he’s confident influential endorsements in the state such as Reynolds’ and dedicating significant time, personnel and financial resources to the leadoff nominating state will “come to fruition over the next 39 to 40 days.”

He said tens of thousands of Iowans have committed to caucus for him across the state, “and we’re adding more every day.”

“We’re excited about the progress we have,” DeSantis said. “ … We’re playing the game to turn people out for a caucus. We’ve got a lot of great supporters. We’re gaining more every day, and we’re going to continue doing that, and we’re going to get the job done.”

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DeSantis last week completed a tour of all of Iowa's 99 counties. The visits have been part of an all-in strategy in Iowa, as he hopes an upset caucus win can help catapult him into a dominant position in the GOP primary race and show the country that former President Donald Trump’s nomination is not inevitable.

“I think that Iowa has an opportunity to really change the trajectory of this country,” DeSantis told the crowd in Cedar Rapids. “I ask you to talk to your friends, your family, your neighbors, co-workers, let them know that showing up to that caucus is going to be very meaningful on Jan. 15.”

DeSantis has been amping up his attacks on the former president’s electability as Trump faces four criminal indictments, including charges related to efforts to overturn the 2020 election.

“I think what you saw on the stage last night was I’m the person that can bring change to D.C.,” he said. “I’m fighting for the American people. I’m not worried about these liberal donors on Wall Street that have gravitated to Nikki Haley. Obviously, I’m not running for any type of personal vendetta. It’s about the American people’s issues, and it’s about getting things done for the country.”

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The DeSantis campaign this week began airing ads showcasing Iowa voters who voted for Trump in the past and are supporting DeSantis in 2024. The ads highlight voter support for DeSantis' proposed border and economic policy and feature clips of bills signed by the Florida governor.

Voters react

Carla Behrens, 59, of Marion, is a former Trump supporter who said she plans to caucus for DeSantis.

“I think Trump did good for when he was there, but I don’t think he’s the man for us now,” Behrens said. “I think he’s too hotheaded. He’s going in with big guns, and I don’t know that it’s for the right reasons.”

She added she’s “not on board” with Trump’s recent remarks comparing political opponents to “vermin” who he will “root out,” which historians have compared to the language used by dictators.

Behrens said she’s supporting DeSantis for fighting against COVID-19 restrictions, passing universal school choice legislation and banning gender-affirming medical procedures or surgeries for minors. She also supports his promise to declare the nation’s southern border a national emergency on Day One, mobilizing the U.S. military and continuing construction of a wall to secure the U.S.-Mexico border.

Other attendees remain undecided.

Casey Cordes, 44, of Marion, said he tends to favor Trump's policies and experience in the White House but also likes DeSantis' youth and believes he is less divisive and may be more electable, reflecting the argument DeSantis has been making on the campaign trail.

“Trump looks like the slam-dunk candidate, but is that going to come fruition? I don’t know,” Cordes said. “More and more keeps getting piled on him. Just or not, I don’t know. But we do need an electable candidate. And that’s why I’m here.”

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