Campaign Central: Volunteers supporting Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis ahead of Iowa caucus

WINK News’ Claire Galt was the only Southwest Florida reporter in Iowa with Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis as he pushed for support.

Verna Christopher is one of his supporters who’s helping get the word out about DeSantis. She told Galt in the world of DeSantis door-knockers, she’s a lucky one. She drives.

“I got my coat off, and the heat’s on, and I’m just waving at the people, you know, shoveling driveways,” stated Christopher.

Her passengers include dedicated volunteers who paid their own way to Iowa to do the actual door-knocking in sub-zero temperatures.

Cooper and Patrick said they’re determined to convince Iowa Republicans to caucus for Ron DeSantis come Monday night.

If the pair’s successful, they take a victory picture and place a DeSantis 2024 sign in the snow-covered front yard.

DeSantis appreciates the sentiment and the volunteers.

“They’re putting forth their time, their effort, just to be able to come make phone calls, knock on doors, and to do that,” explained DeSantis. “And people come from all over to be able to volunteer for this, so thank you for doing that. It really means a lot.”

The Des Moines Register’s final poll before the caucus shows the Florida governor has slipped into third place.

• 48% of those surveyed said Donald Trump is their first choice for president.
• 20% support Nikki Haley.
• DeSantis is at 16%.

Political analyst Dennis Goldford with Drake University will watch closely.

“If you were polling first and you come in first, that’s a dog-bites-man story. But if you were polling fourth and you come in even a strong second, that’s a man-bites-dog story. That becomes really significant,” said Goldford.