A few hours prior to a rally hosted by former President Donald Trump in Fort Dodge, Florida, Governor Ron DeSantis and his influential supporter Governor Kim Reynolds inaugurated a new campaign office for DeSantis in the Des Moines metropolitan area.
During the early morning event, dozens of bundled-up Iowans, including some legislators, lobbyists, and activists, gathered at DeSantis’ campaign office in Urbandale to drink coffee and snack on donuts while the two governors spoke.
Des Moines and Urbandale are the two Iowa offices that comprise the DeSantis campaign’s second headquarters. The campaign has significantly increased its allocation of resources to the state in the weeks leading up to the Iowa Caucus on January 15.
DeSantis, who has a hectic schedule of campaign appearances throughout the state and Reynolds’ support, vowed to continue “working hard” to win over Iowan voters.
DeSantis is tied for second place with former U.N. ambassador Nikki Haley in the most recent Des Moines Register/NBC News/Mediacom Iowa Poll, with 16% of prospective Republican caucus goers selecting him as their first choice.
With 43% support, Trump, who also campaigned in Iowa on Saturday, continues to maintain a significant lead.
Reynolds went on to criticize Trump for skipping the earlier primary debates.
“That’s the expectation of Iowans … they expect him to do the debate, they expect him to show up. They expect him to earn their votes, and he’s just not doing it.” Reynolds said .
[READ MORE: DeSantis Debuts New Ad Featuring Governor Kim Reynolds in Iowa]
