The List

Here's what Santa could bring these Iowans and the visitors

1. Iowa Governor Kim Reynolds — A Christmas miracle. She endorsed Florida Governor Ron DeSantis for governor, drew the wrath of Donald Trump for doing it and is the most unpopular governor in the country according to Morning Consult’s polling. Caucus history shows some candidates surge in the campaign’s final weeks. The governor’s candidate as well as her reputation could use one.

2. Florida Governor Ron DeSantis — He predicted an Iowa Caucus win. No statewide poll shows him closer than 20-30 points. If he accomplishes an Iowa win, he may lead the most stunning upset in recent caucus history.

3. Former U.S. Ambassador Nikki Haley — Second place finish in the caucuses. If Trump wins and Haley gets second, that might force DeSantis to drop out. That could set up Haley to be the true Trump alternative.

4. Former president Donald Trump — A convincing caucus win. 50%. At least. I would argue that since he is a former president, he needs at least 60% to show that he is the dominant force in the primary process.

5. Ohio entrepreneur Vivek Ramaswamy, Dallas pastor Ryan Binkley, Former Arkansas governor Asa Hutchinson — Something to show that they are top-tier presidential candidates. Polling shows them nowhere close so far.

6. Iowa’s congressional delegation — The courage to go public. Fourth District Congressman Randy Feenstra told me that he may endorse a presidential candidate after the holidays. Will any other representative or senator? Let Iowans know what type of leader the Republican Party should have. Do they believe that Iowans should get behind Trump again as the best choice to lead the country on the economy/border/health care/international affairs or is it time to move on after his talk of retribution/dictatorship praise/behavior/criminal and civil investigations? The party is at a crossroads.

7. Iowa Democrats — Relevance. Yes, that’s harsh. So are the depths of the party’s fall over the past decade. They can hope that Republicans have pushed changes that are too focused on the far right and voters will want a course correction next November. But Iowa Democrats will need a significant course correction to be competitive again.

8. Iowans — Higher wages, more affordable housing and child care, population growth in smaller communities, the workforce that our seniors deserve, better support for veterans, best-performing students, full bellies, cleaner waterways and land sustainability, love. More love. More compassion. Less ugliness and on-line hatred. Be better to each other. Each day.

9. You — May you feel my gratitude now and always. I started writing this column this summer as I wandered through the unknown of my career. This is a column where words are obviously most important. Yet, I struggle to find the best words to express my thanks to you for reading, subscribing and sharing your thoughts. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you. I’m still learning how this platform works and how to keep improving what I provide here each week. I promise to keep striving for improvement because you deserve it.

10. Growth — Please help us grow. Here’s how:

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Here’s what else I’ve been doing:

• Ron DeSantis explained to us why Donald Trump’s comments claiming migrants are “poisoning the blood” of this country are not helpful. Watch my story here.

• Are endorsements helpful for a candidate? Perhaps, they get too much attention but they still could have value. Watch my story here.

• (You can find some of my stories for Gray Television at any of the company’s Iowa stations’ websites including wowt.com, ktiv.com, kcrg.com, kwqc.com. Just enter “Dave Price” in the search bar on the website).

• I talked with one of the country’s leading experts on foreign ownership of American land. He explained how something in 2024 could make changes in foreign ownership on the federal level. Watch that in-depth interview here.

• I never knew how much land Ted Turner owned in the United States, how much he has done to increase the bison population or how much he has been involved in restoring natural habit and protecting the environment. Read that story here.

• I’ll try to do a better job each week of including some of my other work here to make it easier to find.

Thank you and Merry Christmas!

May you enjoy your visit from Santa more than Lyla did in this flashback pic from 2017!

Dave Price’s Perspective is part of the Iowa Writers Collaborative, a group of independent journalists. Please check out the other writers.

Here’s the list.