DeSantis Predicts He’ll Win ‘Majority of the Delegates’ in Iowa Despite Campaign Struggles

TIPTON, Iowa — Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis said he is aiming to win Iowa on a swing through the first-in-the-nation caucus state, despite recent campaign stumbles and polling that shows former President Donald Trump leading the race.

“Win a majority of the delegates is what we're going to do. I think we're ahead of where we thought we would be thus far in terms of what we've been able to accomplish in Iowa,” DeSantis told reporters.

The Florida governor traveled through Eastern Iowa on Thursday, riding on a campaign bus hosted by the pro-DeSantis Never Back Down super PAC. He made the comments about his caucus night expectations after a visit to the Tipton Family Restaurant. There are only five months until the Iowa caucuses.

“I'm competing to win every delegate. I mean, I'm not gonna cede anything,” DeSantis said.

Presidential candidates will descend on the Iowa State Fair this weekend, a can’t-miss campaign stop for White House hopefuls. DeSantis is slated to speak at the state fair alongside Iowa GOP Gov. Kim Reynolds on Saturday, and said he’s excited to show his children the state fair, which is “the big enchilada” compared to fairs they have previously visited.

Trump, who is leading in Republican primary polls, will also attend the fair that day but will skip appearing with Reynolds. Former Vice President Mike Pence will speak at the fair on Friday. Trump is leading DeSantis in Iowa polls, although a recent New York Times/Siena College poll showed the Florida governor edging up slightly.

With the first Republican primary debate just two weeks away, DeSantis took a veiled shot at the former president. Trump has said he will not sign a loyalty pledge to support the eventual GOP nominee, and is flirting with skipping the Milwaukee debate.

“You've got to be willing to step up and realize that this is a team effort. So I was proud to do that. I'm happy to do that,” DeSantis said of signing the Republican National Committee’s pledge. “There's no way that I would ever just take my ball and go home and pout.”

The DeSantis campaign has been under scrutiny in recent months, after firing dozens of staff and even parting ways with campaign manager Generra Peck. DeSantis called the attention paid to the “process stuff” aspect of his campaign “way overblown.”

“It definitely is not something that the average voter is concerned about,” DeSantis told reporters.