Iowa conservatives praise DeSantis ‘reboot’ amid campaign struggles

Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis is declaring a reboot to his campaign and boasting support from state Republicans after the Lincoln Dinner Friday night.

DeSantis scooped up endorsements from multiple state GOP politicians, attempting to cement a new start to his struggling campaign.

“The Lincoln Dinner showed that Republicans have a deep bench of great candidates for President in 2024 compared to the train wreck offered by Democrats. Iowans will have a difficult choice for caucusing,” said GOP Iowa State Rep. Bill Gustoff. 

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“But Gov. DeSantis knocked it out of the park in his short speech packed with a long list of plans to put the country back on track, complete with a record of accomplishment to show why he’s the one to get the job done.”  

The governor has been working to reinvigorate the campaign following several weeks of negative stories spotlighting his campaign’s overspending, downsizing and other stumbles.

“Ron DeSantis had an awesome, energetic speech last night that offered a positive vision for the future,” said Republican Iowa State Representative Dan Gehlbach. 

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“He’s ready to get to work on day one with specific plans for our country. DeSantis took the time to talk to every single person in the room after his speech at the Iowa GOP dinner, far more than any other candidate I saw.”

Former President Donald Trump, who remains the commanding front-runner in the GOP nomination race as he makes his third straight White House run, has expanded his large double-digit lead over DeSantis in numerous polls since the governor declared his candidacy two months ago. 

And Desantis’ advantage over the rest of the large field of 2024 Republican presidential candidates has eroded since late spring.

The economy remains a top concern for American voters, who continue to give President Biden a failing grade on the issue. Even though fears of a recession appear to be subsiding and inflation has eased, more than three-quarters questioned in the most recent Fox News national poll said the economy was in fair or poor shape.

Fox News Digital’s Paul Steinhauser contributed to this report.