DES MOINES, Iowa (NewsNation) — As the Iowa caucuses loom less than a month away, Republican candidates are intensifying attacks on each other as they strive to boost their ground games in Iowa.
The remaining GOP candidates, Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis, former South Carolina Gov. Nikki Haley and entrepreneur Vivek Ramaswamy will host events in Hawkeye State this week as they work to narrow the substantial lead former President Donald Trump has in polls.
During Sunday night’s town hall in Altoona, Pennsylvania, Haley asked attendees to raise their hands if it was their first time attending one of her events.
About half of the room indicated it was their first time supporting her, suggesting she may be gaining votes from Trump. However, with the former president holding a more than 30-point lead in the latest Iowa polls, Haley and her supporters are managing expectations, hoping for a strong showing in the causes.
“The battle right now in Iowa is for second place. I think anybody who looks at numbers would agree with me,” said David Oman, a former Republican party co-chair and Haley volunteer. “I’m not sure why Ron DeSantis keeps talking about how he can win. Haley and DeSantis are in a close battle for second.”
According to a CBS/YouGov poll released Sunday, Trump is leading with 58% support, holding a 36-point lead over DeSantis who has been heavily prioritizing Iowa.
Trump holds a 45-point lead over Haley, who criticized DeSantis’s campaign strategy Sunday.
“Thirty days until the caucus; I am seeing the ads that you’re seeing on TV. Ron DeSantis has not put one truthful ad up there about me. He has spent millions of dollars against me,” Haley said. “While he’s lying about me, I’m going to tell you the truth about him… I have not talked negatively about anybody, but if you’ve got to lie to win then you don’t deserve to win.”
DeSantis’ outward focus is on beating Trump, but another recent high-profile resignation from the Never Back Down super PAC supporting DeSantis raises concerns about his campaign stability.
“If Trump loses he will say it’s stolen no matter what. He will try to delegitimize the results. He did that against Ted Cruz in 2016.” DeSantis said.
The Republican Party of Iowa’s presidential caucuses are scheduled for Monday, Jan. 15, 2024.