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DES MOINES, Iowa—As the campaign of Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis struggles and
former President Donald Trump braces for a third indictment , Iowa Republicans
on Friday evening looked to see what else is on the menu.

The top two polling candidates in the GOP presidential primary race were among
13 White House hopefuls who spoke at a Republican fundraising dinner that served
as a key audition stage. Iowa launches the nomination process with its Jan. 15
caucuses.



The challenges faced by Trump and DeSantis could prompt some Republicans to look
harder at alternatives, including Sen. Tim Scott of South Carolina.

“Tim Scott is ready for a moment,” said David Oman, a dinner attendee who is a
past Iowa GOP chairman and has led previous presidential campaigns in the state.
“He’s made a very good impression.”

In his dinner remarks, Scott highlighted social issues and themes of patriotism.
“As president of the United States, I will make sure that the truth of my life
continues to disprove the lies of the radical left,” he said.

The county party leaders, state legislators and activists who attended the
Lincoln Dinner are almost certain to participate in the caucuses. The wooing got
personal one floor below the main convention center hall following a dinner
where more than 1,200 dined on broiled chicken, mashed potatoes and cheesecake
with strawberries amid candidate speeches.



The majority of the candidates appeared after dinner in breakout rooms where
they competed to offer the best afterparty event. Some provided pizza and beer,
while others served popcorn, cookies and other snacks. Trump offered his guests
ice cream after they stood in a long line to shake his hand and pose for
photos. 

In the suite sponsored by the super PAC backing DeSantis, baseballs were
available to throw at Bud Light cans, a nod to the fight he and other
conservatives have picked with Anheuser-Busch InBev following a company
marketing campaign that featured a transgender social media personality. North
Dakota Gov. Doug Burgum offered cattle-roping lessons.

The evening marked the first time Trump and DeSantis have attended the same
event in Iowa. Almost the entire room stood and applauded when Trump took the
stage as the dinner’s final speaker. He listed what he views as his
accomplishments in office and said it is “hard to do that quickly,” given
speakers at the dinner were strictly limited to 10 minutes each.




The former president criticized DeSantis within the first 150 seconds of his
speech and later rattled off poll results showing him with a sizable lead. “I
wouldn’t take a chance on that one,” he said of DeSantis.



The Florida governor didn’t directly address Trump, but he did suggest that he
would likely fail again against President President Biden in a general election.

“We’re not getting a mulligan on 2024,” DeSantis said. “We either win this
election and make good on all the promises that we’re making, or the Democrats
are going to throw this country into a hole that’s going to take us a generation
to come out of.”

For speakers at the dinner who went over the 10-minute limit, the microphone was
cut off and music was played. That happened to former Arkansas Gov. Asa
Hutchinson but not before he highlighted Trump’s legal challenges.

“You will be voting in Iowa while multiple criminal cases are pending against
former President Trump,” he said. “Iowa has an opportunity to say, we as a
party, we need a new direction for America and for the GOP.”



Will Hurd, a moderate former Texas congressman and Trump critic who is engaged
in a long-shot bid, was heavily booed when he directly criticized the former
president and highlighted the party’s losing record under his leadership.

“Donald Trump is running to stay out of prison,” Hurd said. “The truth is hard.
But if we elect Donald Trump, we are willingly giving President Biden four more
years in the White House.”

Dinner attendee Anita Ilg, a 61-year-old small-business owner from DeWitt, Iowa,
said she has already decided to support Trump in the caucuses. “He is promises
made, promises kept, and he keeps taking bullets for us,” she said.

Other Iowa Republicans said they have had enough of Trump and want the party to
move on. Jon Peterson, a 50-year-old who lives in Ottumwa and works in marketing
and advertising, said he is trying to decide between DeSantis, Scott or
businessman Vivek Ramaswamy.

“He’s not loyal to some of the people who worked hard for him,” said Peterson,
citing Trump’s treatment of former Vice President Mike Pence, following a
DeSantis event Friday in Oskaloosa, Iowa.

DeSantis is trying to reboot his campaign after recording declining poll numbers
and recently laying off nearly 40 campaign staff members following the release
of financial disclosures that showed a cash-strapped operation that has
struggled to raise money from small donors.

While DeSantis’s allies often suggest the primary is a two-man race between him
and Trump, the governor showed some humility when asked before the dinner about
that framing.

“We’re not entitled to anything,” he told reporters at a stop in Albia, Iowa.
“I’m going to outwork everybody and we are going to earn the support.”




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