DeSantis To Visit Key Early Primary States In First Campaign Stops

DeSantis To Visit Key Early Primary States In First Campaign Stops

Reagan Reese on May 25, 2023

Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis will make his first campaign stops in key early primary states following his presidential launch Wednesday evening, his campaign announced Thursday.

DeSantis officially announced his highly anticipated entrance into the 2024 Republican primaries on Twitter in a campaign video and a conversation on Twitter Spaces with Elon Musk. The governor will make his first presidential stop in Iowa with a “campaign kickoff,” followed by several visits in the state, New Hampshire and South Carolina, his campaign said.

“We are laser-focused on taking Governor DeSantis’ forward-thinking message for restoring America to every potential voter in Iowa, New Hampshire, and South Carolina,” campaign manager Generra Peck said in a statement. “Our campaign is committed to putting in the time to win these early nominating states. No one will work harder than Governor DeSantis to share his vision with the country — he has only begun to fight.”

The campaign stops are a part of his “Our Great American Comeback Tour,” his campaign announced, and will begin on May 30 in Des Moines, Iowa. DeSantis will then hit four more stops in Iowa, including Sioux City and Cedar Rapids, before heading to New Hampshire on June 1 for four more stops.

DeSantis will then head to South Carolina, continuing through his last stop in Greenville on June 2.

I’m running for president to lead our Great American Comeback. pic.twitter.com/YmkWkLaVDg

— Ron DeSantis (@RonDeSantis) May 24, 2023

DeSantis’ widely-anticipated presidential announcement began with a rocky start and experienced numerous technical difficulties, in which audio continued to fail.

The governor’s team credited the glitches to the “enthusiasm” of large swathes of listeners tuning in, with over 700,000 Twitter accounts attempting to join the space at one point. Bryan Griffin, DeSantis’ press secretary, touted the newly-launched campaign’s $1 million raised in one hour following the governor’s presidential announcement.

The Real Clear Politics (RCP) average for a 2024 national Republican primary, based on polls conducted between April 28 and May 22, indicates that DeSantis has 20.9% support.

DeSantis joins a crowded GOP primary field with former President Donald Trump, former U.N. Ambassador Nikki Haley, South Carolina Sen. Tim Scott, former Arkansas Gov. Asa Hutchinson, businessman Vivek Ramaswamy and conservative radio personality Larry Elder, with former Vice President Mike Pence expected to jump in soon.