Florida Governor Ron DeSantis urged his party to reject a “culture of losing” at the Feenstra Family Picnic, which Rep. Randy Feenstra (R-IA) hosted.
DeSantis, speaking at the Dean Family Classic Car Museum on a dreary Saturday afternoon, said, “I think the hope is that both Florida and Iowa show [that] strong leadership and a bold agenda can defeat the left in this country.” However, there is no replacement for success. The losing mentality that has permeated our party in recent years must be eradicated.
He continued, “The time for excuses is over,” a sly jab at a potential problem facing the Florida governor.
DeSantis is considering a run for president, and Saturday night’s Feenstra event in Iowa comes as he and Trump stage dueling events within about 121 miles of each other. DeSantis is having a Republican Party of Iowa fundraiser in Cedar Rapids, while former President Obama is holding a more traditional campaign event in Des Moines.
It is widely anticipated that DeSantis will enter the 2024 campaign around the middle of May, despite the fact that he is not currently a contender. But getting the nomination will be a tough slog for him. Trump routinely enjoys double-digit leads in polls of likely Republican primary voters, while DeSantis finishes in second place. According to a study by National Research Inc., Trump has the support of 42% of Republican voters in Florida, while DeSantis only has 34% of them. In addition, 46% of voters believed Trump would be the best candidate to boost the economy, while only 18% felt the same way about the Florida governor.
DeSantis’s supporters want him to run for president, and some have even endorsed him for the primary. Two prominent Republicans came out in support of DeSantis before his campaign swing in Iowa. According to the Des Moines Register, both Iowa Senate President Amy Sinclair and Iowa House Majority Leader Matt Windschitl endorsed DeSantis on Thursday.
In a significant boost in a state that holds one of the first nominating races next year, Never Back Down, a super PAC supporting DeSantis, unveiled a wave of endorsements from 37 Iowa state Republicans. DeSantis’s second trip to Iowa was hosted by Feenstra, who has not yet backed a candidate.
In preparation for the governor’s presidential campaign launch, Never Back Down has been expanding its crew in Iowa and other early voting states. The organization, which had a table set up at the Saturday event, has reportedly already hired several people in Iowa.
Attendees at the picnic told the Washington Examiner that they are still unsure of who they would support for the Republican nomination.
Dennis Werkmeister, a 64-year-old company owner from Paullina, Iowa, remarked, “I have not even close to made up my mind yet.” However, he did note that the GOP has “a good slate” of candidates to choose from.
There were two standing ovations for DeSantis: the first when he took the stage and the second when he addressed the topic of border security in the United States.
DeSantis offered another subtle jab at Trump while bragging about Florida’s productive legislative session. “And at the end of the day, leadership is not about making people happy. Branding oneself, engaging in social media chatter, and virtue signaling have no place in governing. At the end of the day, it’s all about winning and getting results,” he stated to cheers.
DeSantis’s response to reporters’ inquiries about his planned presidential run in 2024 was a noncommittal “Stay tuned.”