Republicans for Trump or Harris?
Donald Trump’s grip on Republican politics has fascinated me for nine years now. That’s one reason why I wrote a book that had Trump’s name in the title.
(Shameless plug: You can buy “Caucus Chaos Trump" at Beaverdale Books in Des Moines , Amazon, or you can Venmo me $15 @DavePriceIowa and I’ll send you an autographed copy. Venmo $25 and I will also include an autographed copy of my first book, “Caucus Chaos.” )
Presidential Nominee, III — Trump steamrolled through the 2024 caucus/primary campaign to become the Republican presidential nominee for the third time. Former United Nations Ambassador Nikki Haley (who served under Trump) seemed to me early on to be the only one who could be a realistic challenger.
Yes, Florida Governor Ron DeSantis finished second in the Iowa Caucuses. While he offered more “street cred” (or perhaps, more appropriately, “pew cred”) with social conservatives than Trump (who has more of a transactional relationship with them), DeSantis never offered substantial differences on many policies. A younger version of Trump without all the legal problems was not the bumper sticker message that resonated with enough caucus/primary voters.
A True Alternative…Eventually — Haley didn’t find her voice until it was too late. Had she campaigned in Iowa the way that she did after the New Hampshire Primary by more directly taking on Trump and offering a more distinct difference, would it have made a difference in the final outcome?
Perhaps not. But she did make enough of an impression that we are now seeing some of her prominent supporters publicly declaring that they will support Vice President Kamala Harris, the Democrat’s nominee, instead of Trump. (Haley endorsed Trump, by the way, despite all the criticism that she had about his character and behavior.)
Switching to Harris — An Iowa example is Dawn Roberts. Hers is a prominent name in Iowa Republican politics. She was a former Polk County Republican chair, candidate for secretary of state, state co-chair for presidential candidate Gerald Ford, and wife of longtime National Committee Chair Steve Roberts. The Roberts name is a familiar one to politicos.
Dawn Roberts also co-chaired Nikki Haley’s Iowa campaign. This month, she alerted other former Haley supporters, fellow Republicans, and everyone everywhere, she now supports Kamala Harris for president.
I don’t want to overdo this. Dawn Roberts is one person. But I am curious whether her decision that she just can’t support Trump…and will back his Democratic opponent instead…and did it publicly…will convince other traditional Republican voters to do the same thing.
Maybe they won’t all now back Harris. But will some of them decide to write in another Republican’s name or just skip the race completely?
Too soon to know. But it is just the latest in a series of unique moments that we will talk about for years to come.
And maybe write a book about:)
“Inside Iowa Politics”— On my latest show, we looked at the disturbing cases of threatening, suspicious packages sent to elections officials in at least 20 states, including Iowa.
The Iowa Poll — I did a few stories on the Des Moines Register’s Iowa Poll that looked at Trump vs. Harris, key issues, and Governor Kim Reynolds’ declining approval numbers.
Here is the Trump vs. Harris story.
Here is the story about Trump or Harris on key issues.
And here is my story about Governor Reynolds’ approval numbers.
Cool Moment — As I’m writing my column, I’m listening to my mother-in-law, Bonnie (who is visiting from Tampa and helping us out while my wife is out of town), give her oldest grandson directions on how to make an apple pie. She told him how to make the crust and watched him roll the dough.
She is in my living room. He is in Denmark.
Technology is amazing, isn’t it?
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