First Read
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As Ron DeSantis made his first appearances in Iowa, a Des Moines Register/Mediacom Iowa Poll offered some encouraging news for his still-unannounced presidential bid.
The poll showed DeSantis viewed favorably by 74% of Iowa Republicans, while former President Donald Trump was viewed favorably by 80%. Support for Trump has dropped off over the past few years, according to the Register: He was viewed favorably by 91% in September 2021 and by 83% in October 2022.
Iowa, of course, plays an outsized role in presidential politics, as its caucus will kick off the battle for the Republican presidential nomination next year.
“Iowa is where the competition starts,” pollster J. Ann Selzer, who conducted the Iowa Poll, told the Register. “And someone who has already held the office and who won the state twice would be presumed to be the front-runner, and I don't know that we can say that at this point. “There's nothing locked in about Iowa for Donald Trump.”
– The preceding is an excerpt from the inaugural edition of “The DeSantis Files,” the new email newsletter from News Service of Florida and City & State Florida. Sign up here to start receiving it.