DES MOINES, Iowa — Gov. Ron DeSantis (R-FL) and his family gathered at the Coram Deo Bible Church, a nondenominational church in Davenport, for Sunday service just hours before Iowa GOP voters head to their caucus sites.
The Florida governor has attended over a dozen church services across the state, according to his campaign, making this critical voting bloc a central part of his bid for president.
“John 14:6, I am the way and the truth and the life,” DeSantis said at a campaign event recently when asked about his favorite Bible verse by a voter, to a round of applause.
Nearly 200 miles away, Kari Lake, a top surrogate of former President Donald Trump, prayed with churchgoers at a Baptist church in West Des Moines and spoke with faith leaders after attending the service.
Eight years ago, Trump did not win the Iowa caucuses, primarily because he failed to win a majority of Iowa’s evangelical voters, who helped propel Sen. Ted Cruz (R-TX) to victory in the state in 2016. Born-again or evangelical Christians made up 64% of Iowa caucusgoers during the 2016 GOP presidential primary alone, according to exit polling.
But this cycle, he appears to have a grip on this critical group of voters who have become some of his most reliable supporters since the 2016 general election, even as his opponents are working overtime to siphon their backing.
An Iowa poll released on Saturday found Trump leads widely among evangelical voters, with 51%, which is unchanged from December’s poll. DeSantis is second with 22%, and former U.S. Ambassador to the United Nations Nikki Haley only had 12% support among this demographic.
Jane Olson, 64, had considered supporting DeSantis and attended an event in Ames to hear him speak this week but decided to back Trump in the caucuses after the former president’s Supreme Court justices overturned Roe v. Wade.
“I mean, this was single-handedly the biggest pro-life victory I’ve seen in my lifetime. How could I have even questioned my support for this man,” Olson said.
DeSantis has been working to cut into that advantage and has made some headway with influential backers. He has been endorsed by Gov. Kim Reynolds (R-IA), who is popular among this voting bloc; Bob Vander Plaats, the state’s most prominent evangelical leader and head of the Family Leader; and over 150 pastors.
Vander Plaats has supported the last three winners of the state’s first-in-the-nation presidential contests and is considered a kingmaker in Iowa. He worked on former Arkansas Gov. Mike Huckabee’s 2008 campaign, which he won. He also endorsed then-Sen. Rick Santorum (R-PA) and Cruz, who both won the first-in-the-nation race. The evangelical leader said he’s not concerned about his winning reputation this cycle, even with Trump so far ahead in the polls.
“Honestly, when I endorsed Huckabee, nobody thought Huckabee would win. When I endorsed Santorum, no one thought Santorum would win. Nobody thought Cruz would win,” Vander Plaats said in an interview with the Washington Examiner.
Vander Plaats believes the Florida governor may have more support than the polls indicate, but he also acknowledges there could be a disconnect between faith leaders and voters.
“Maybe the only disconnect is that I probably have a little bit more of an advantage of access, and that might give me a clearer view. That’s where the disconnect comes in,” he said.
Earlier this cycle, DeSantis went after Trump for refusing to endorse a national abortion ban and after the former president referred to Florida’s six-week ban as a “terrible thing.” Haley has said Republicans are unlikely to have enough seats in Congress to pass any national abortion restrictions but continues to emphasize her anti-abortion stance.
“The fellas just don’t know how to talk about it. Instead of demonizing this issue, you have to humanize this issue,” she has said on several occasions.
Jayden Brown, a Republican voter in Bettendorf, said he likes the way Haley speaks about the topic and plans to caucus for her.
“I know Haley shares my pro-life views, and it’s smart of her not to take too extreme of positions on abortion. Even though I, myself, am against abortions of any kind, Republicans need to win elections,” Brown said.
During a town hall on Fox News this past week, an undecided Republican voter asked Trump to reassure her that he would “protect all life without compromise.”
In the past, the former president blamed the “abortion issue” for Republicans underperforming expectations in the 2022 midterm elections, and he made a similar comment, saying he “loved” where she was coming from but that “we still have to win elections.”
“If you talk about five or six weeks, a lot of women don’t know that they’re pregnant in five or six weeks. I want to get something where people are happy,” Trump said.
For some voters, Trump’s response was a deal-breaker.
“Trump just said, ‘Well, you have to win elections,’ and that was his stance. He’s been so wishy-washy. That’s not an answer,” said Maggie Loftin, a voter who lives in Clive and has committed to caucusing for DeSantis. “That just makes me nervous. That’s too easily swayed in one direction or the other. I just need a firm yes or no.”
“We know where DeSantis stands on this issue, and that makes me feel reassured,” she added.
CLICK HERE TO READ MORE FROM THE WASHINGTON EXAMINER
However, for other voters, abortion feels like a largely settled matter, with the Supreme Court’s decision and a law signed by the Iowa governor last year that banned abortion after six weeks.
“I don’t think that many people see this as their No. 1 issue anymore,” said Lisa Stevens, a voter in Clarence who has committed to caucusing for Trump. “Evangelical voters also care about the economy, immigration, and the weaponization of the justice system in this country. We’re multidimensional,” she said.
