Iowa Republican Caucus: GOP voters who love Trump admit they may back DeSantis or Haley on Monday over fears 45th president just can’t win another general election

Some of Donald Trump’s supporters in Iowa are expressing last-minute jitters about his electability in the general, raising the possibility of a surprise upset from challengers Nikki Haley or Ron DeSantis.

Ahead of Monday’s first caucuses in the country, Trump has a more than 30-point lead over his rivals in polls among GOP voters in Iowa and is likely to win a majority of Iowa delegates.

Haley or DeSantis would have to peel away Trump supporters if they hope to drag the former president below the 50 percent mark — let alone the allure of an unlikely upset and capturing a majority of their own.

Trump’s various legal issues have loomed over the primaries, an issue Haley has highlighted by regularly speaking of “chaos” after the former president, while DeSantis claims Trump’s legal issues would cost votes in the general election.

At least some Iowa voters who support Trump are weighing these concerns as they consider who to vote for, according to a CNN Saturday report.

Ron DeSantis leaves after speaking at a Northside Conservatives Club Meeting at The District in Ankeny, Iowa on Friday, as Arctic temperatures hit the state

Pat Goodman, a 57-year-old voter from West Des Moines, told the newspaper that he liked all of Trump’s policies but was concerned that the former president could not gain support from independents in the general election.

“I love all the policies he implemented as president, and I felt like his tweets were unpresidential at times,” Goodman said.

“I think that drives other voters away from him, even though I think he was an excellent president because of the things he did and accomplished.”

Goodman said he is considering whether to root for DeSantis or Vivek Ramaswamy, the businessman and staunch Trump defender whose pitch to voters is that he would immediately pardon the former president if elected.

The latest poll from Iowa shows Haley, the former governor of South Carolina, with a lead over DeSantis, the governor of Florida.

Friday’s USA Today/Suffolk poll has Trump at 54 points, Haley at 20 and DeSantis at 13 percent. Other recent polls have had Haley and DeSantis tied, with both still more than 30 points behind Trump.

Iowa’s delegates are rewarded proportionately, making the 50 percent a largely symbolic victory.

Although Trump heads into the Iowa caucuses on Monday with outsized expectations, the magnitude of his victory will matter if he wants to inflict a knockout blow on key rivals.

Trump campaign advisers have tried to temper expectations by noting that the previous record win in a contested Republican caucus was Bob Dole’s margin of 12.8 points in 1988.

But four political analysts interviewed by Reuters said Trump needs a more convincing victory, closer to the 30-plus point margin suggested by the polls, to blunt Haley’s momentum.

A pickup truck drives down a snowy road under a sign in the Iowa Caucus on Friday

Republican presidential candidate, former U.N. Ambassador Nikki Haley, is ahead of Ron DeSantis in a new Iowa poll ahead of Monday’s caucuses

Former US President Donald Trump, who is far ahead in the Iowa polls, was back in a Manhattan courtroom on Thursday

Doug Heye, a Republican strategist, said Trump must win by at least 15 to 20 percentage points or risk losing the air of inevitability, a situation that could allow Haley or DeSantis to gain momentum at a critical moment in the race .

“That’s an absolute minimum for Trump. Everything below that shows – and will be inflated – vulnerability,” Heye said.

Trump campaign co-manager Chris LaCivita said he was confident the “intensity” of the former president’s base would translate into a major victory despite the cold gripping the Midwestern state .

But he stopped short of predicting the kind of victory suggested by the polls.

“A win is a win, but no one has ever won by more than… 12.8,” LaCivita told reporters Thursday.

One wild card is attendance. Reflecting concerns that his supporters will stay home given his comfortable lead in the polls, Trump has warned against complacency at recent rallies.

Another risk for Trump is a strong performance by Haley, who has risen in the polls. If she were to secure second place, it could make her the clear alternative to Trump, giving her a boost in New Hampshire, analysts said.

Haley campaign spokesperson Olivia Perez-Cubas would not quantify how close they hoped to get to Trump on Monday.

“We will have a strong showing in Iowa and carry that momentum into New Hampshire,” she said.