After Iowa caucuses, DeSantis to go to South Carolina first in a jab at Haley

Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis‘ first cease after the Iowa caucuses on Monday evening might be South Carolina — and never New Hampshire, the place the following voting contest might be held — a departure from political custom.

New Hampshire’s first-in-the-nation major contest is Jan. 23, simply eight days after the Iowa caucuses, whereas South Carolina’s is a month later, on Feb. 24. However DeSantis’ marketing campaign says it accepted an invite for an occasion in Greenville, South Carolina, for Tuesday morning, and opted to go there first earlier than heading to New Hampshire for a meet and greet and a city corridor Tuesday evening.

DeSantis is attempting to stress former South Carolina Gov. and Ambassador to the United Nations Nikki Haley, who leads DeSantis by a large margin in early polling in New Hampshire and South Carolina, and stays deadlocked in a race with him for second place in Iowa – the place former President Donald Trump has a considerable polling lead over the Republican major subject. 

“For Nikki Haley, it’s merely win the South Carolina major or bust,” one DeSantis marketing campaign adviser stated, noting DeSantis’ endorsements from former and present elected officers within the Palmetto state outnumber Haley’s. 

CBS Information has reached out to the Haley marketing campaign for remark. 

Haley has referred to South Carolina because the state that “brings it house” for her marketing campaign (and has joked that New Hampshire will “appropriate” Iowa). 

The leapfrogging journey from DeSantis comes because the viability of DeSantis’ marketing campaign has come into query – particularly if he underperforms or badly loses to Trump in Iowa. 

“This marketing campaign is constructed for the long-haul. We intend to compete for each single obtainable delegate in New Hampshire, Nevada, South Carolina after which into March,” stated DeSantis communications director Andrew Romeo. “We hope Donald Trump is prepared for an extended, scrappy marketing campaign as we work to share Ron DeSantis’ imaginative and prescient throughout America.”

During his marketing campaign, DeSantis has spent almost all of his time in Iowa: he is held occasions in all 99 counties, and his marketing campaign says he is achieved over 240 occasions within the state. However his journeys to New Hampshire have dropped off since August, with simply eight journeys to the state since Aug. 19, in accordance with a CBS Information evaluation. One New Hampshire official with the DeSantis marketing campaign stated the governor continues to be “all in on New Hampshire.” 

Some DeSantis supporters noticed DeSantis’ post-Iowa South Carolina detour as a optimistic transfer. 

“It reveals conviction. Conviction the marketing campaign’s not going away,” stated Richard Paddock, a New Hampshire voter who helps DeSantis and is coming to Iowa to knock doorways for him on Monday. “He is acquired eight days up right here [in New Hampshire]. We have got to get a bounce out of Iowa and we have to do one thing to shake up the race.”

Dave Wilson, a GOP strategist and former president of the Palmetto Household Council, stated the transfer to go to South Carolina first “alerts to Nikki Haley that this race will not be over.” He pointed to the placement of Greenville particularly for the cease as an indication that DeSantis is trying to achieve traction in northern South Carolina, the place there are extra conservative evangelical voters “who’re on the lookout for a DeSantis fashion of management on cultural points.”

“DeSantis doesn’t go to South Carolina first except he’s recognizing the truth that he has acquired to energise a gaggle of individuals behind him and knock Nikki Haley off her recreation,” he stated. “Doing that is actually making it clear he’s not seeing himself as out of the operating but, as some individuals are saying he could be.”

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