Ron rolls the dice: DeSantis will fly straight to South Carolina after Iowa instead of New Hampshire to take the battle to Nikki Haley in her home state
- Florida Governor Ron DeSantis will skip New Hampshire and fly straight to South Carolina after Monday’s Iowa caucuses
- The move indicates that he wants to take on the former UN ambassador. Nikki Haley on her home turf, where the first southern primaries will be held on February 24
- DeSantis is also not expected to perform well in New Hampshire, where he was in fourth place before former New Jersey Governor Chris Chrisie dropped out.
Florida Governor Ron DeSantis will fly straight to South Carolina after Monday’s caucuses instead of going to New Hampshire, where the next primaries are taking place, in a bid to defeat rival Nikki Haley in her home state.
It’s a bold move for the 2024 hopeful who is locked in a tight battle with Haley for second place in the Republican primary field that former President Donald Trump still dominates.
Iowa Polls It emerged on Friday that DeSantis had a connection with Haley in a state where he campaigned heavily.
In addition, Florida’s governor had fallen to fourth place in New Hampshire, behind Trump, Haley and former New Jersey Governor Chris Christie, who left the race on Wednesday.
DeSantis will fly to Greenville, South Carolina, a GOP-heavy part of the state, on Tuesday.
Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis will skip New Hampshire and head straight to South Carolina for a campaign event the Tuesday after the Iowa caucuses. The move is intended to alert rival Nikki Haley that DeSantis is postponing the race
Gov. Ron DeSantis of Florida addresses volunteers in Urbandale, Iowa, on Friday. DeSantis’ decision to go to South Carolina after Iowa is also because he was in fourth place in New Hampshire, where the next presidential primary will be held on January 23.
‘This campaign is built for the long term. We plan to compete for every available delegate in New Hampshire, Nevada, South Carolina and then into March,” DeSantis spokesman Andrew Romeo told DailyMail.com in a statement.
“That starts Monday at the Iowa Caucus, and the next day we will ramp up our campaign in both South Carolina and New Hampshire,” Romeo added.
The Associated Press first reported DeSantis’ action.
DeSantis’ move mimics a move made four years ago by now-President Joe Biden.
Biden finished fourth in the Iowa caucuses and did not do well in New Hampshire, so he flew to South Carolina on the night of the Granite State’s primaries to address voters there.
He easily won the Palmetto State’s first primary after gaining the support of powerful Democratic Rep. Jim Clyburn, who was the highest-ranking black member of Congress at the time.
That gave Biden momentum going into Super Tuesday to help him win the nomination over Vermont Sen. Bernie Sanders, the more liberal candidate.
DeSantis’ move is riskier because Haley has an advantage in the home state as a former governor of the state.
Additionally, Trump has outpaced both Haley and DeSantis in the state.
He also won’t have momentum, something Haley could capture if she comes within striking distance of Trump in New Hampshire.
Still, the Republican primary in South Carolina will be held on February 24, giving DeSantis more than a month to right the ship if he has a tough caucus night in Iowa on January 15.
The New Hampshire primary will be held eight days later on January 23, followed by Nevada, which will host both a Republican primary and a Republican caucus.
DeSantis told reporters outside his headquarters in Urbandale, Iowa, on Friday that he planned to participate in the Nevada caucuses, “even though they actually rigged that for Trump.”
The Republican caucuses in Nevada will take place on February 8.
After Republicans from Iowa, New Hampshire, Nevada and South Carolina have their say, voters from 16 states or territories will vote on Super Tuesday on March 5.