INDIANOLA, Iowa – The first true test of former President Donald Trump’s political revival is set to play out Monday in the iconic Iowa caucuses.
Mr. Trump on Sunday rallied his fans to turn out by calling on them to score the “ultimate victory over all of the liars, cheaters, thugs, perverts, frauds, crooks.”
Gov. Ron DeSantis of Florida said voters in Iowa have the chance to “change the trajectory of American politics,” and made the case he is the sole candidate in the race who “makes big promises, meets those expectations and even over-delivers on his promises.”
Former U.S. Ambassador to the U.N. Nikki Haley said it was time to put the chaos of the Trump years in the rearview mirror and rally behind her as the new conservative leader to steer the party to electoral wins up and down the ticket.
Voters across Iowa will gather Monday at churches, high school gymnasiums and community centers for the caucuses, marking the official start of the 2024 nomination race.
Complicating the process, temperatures are forecast to be well below zero, probably making it the coldest caucuses in history, which presents a turnout problem for all the candidates.
SEE ALSO: Trump attacks Nikki Haley on Social Security, Medicare
Vivek Ramaswamy also is running, along with former Arkansas Gov. Asa Hutchinson, and pastor Ryan Binkley.
Mr. Trump is in the pole position.
Running as a quasi-incumbent with a record of roiling the establishment forces in Washington, Mr. Trump not only sits atop a massive lead in polls, but his legions of supporters are more energized and more dedicated than those of his rivals.
At his final pre-caucus rally at Simpson College in Indianola, Mr. Trump painted an apocalyptic picture of life under President Biden. He said the “forgotten man and woman” in Iowa have a chance to send a message to “Crooked Joe Biden” and his “henchmen” in Washington and also eviscerate his Republican rivals’ hopes of catching him.
“Ask yourself who does the radical left and the Washington swamp fear more: Nikki Haley, Ron DeSanctimonius, or President Donald J. Trump,” Mr. Trump said. “I can tell you right now.”
“The corrupt establishment knows if you put me back in the White House their reign is over. It will be over, and America will be a free nation once again,” he said, sparking applause from the crowd. “Joe Biden is a threat to democracy.”
Mr. Trump said Ms. Haley has “the wrong thought process, the wrong policy and honestly she is not tough enough.” He said the lack of loyalty Mr. DeSantis showed him doomed his campaign from the start.
“If you want to save America from ‘Cooked Joe Biden’ you must go caucus tomorrow. You can’t sit home,” Mr. Trump said before joking, “Even if you vote and pass away, it is worth it.”
Mr. Trump also picked up endorsements Sunday from Sen. Marco Rubio of Florida and North Dakota Gov. Doug Burgum.
The final Des Moines Register/NBC News/Mediacom Iowa Poll before Monday’s caucuses showed Mr. Trump leads the pack, with the support of 48% of likely caucusgoers.
Ms. Haley, 20%, has climbed past Mr. DeSantis, 16%, into second place, while Mr. Ramaswamy comes in with 8%.
Brad Bousthead, a 64-year-od caucus volunteer for Mr. Trump, said he is in Mr. Trump’s corner because he is a proven fighter.
“When he is under pressure he can put up with the heat,” Mr. Bousthead said. “Maybe he doesn’t always make the best decisions, maybe he talks a little rougher than an Iowa person would from time to time, but at the bottom of it all, I think he has America’s best interest at heart.”
The Register survey was the latest warning sign for Mr. DeSantis, and more evidence suggesting he could be in survival mode at the caucuses.
His campaign and supportive Super PACs have focused heavily on a strong performance in Iowa and anything short of that could make it hard for him to justify staying in the race.
Seeking to dispel that storyline, Mr. DeSantis, during an appearance on CNN’s “State of the Nation,” said, “We’re in this for the long haul.”
Mr. DeSantis’s closing argument on the campaign trail has been that he is more of a proven doer than anyone else in the race. He has made the case by taking Mr. Trump to task for not following through on promises to build a border wall and make Mexico pay for it, end birthright citizenship for illegal immigrants, “drain the swamp” and reduce the national debt.
“He is running now on the same stuff the second time around,” Mr. DeSantis said. “So if he wasn’t able to do it the first time, why would he be able to do it if he would be able to get elected a second time?”
“With me, you can say he has an agenda and he is going to pursue that agenda,” he said. “If I tell you I am going to do it, I am going to do it.”
“You’re never going to have an opportunity where your voice and your vote are going to pack as much of a punch as they are tomorrow,” Mr. DeSantis said.
Mr. DeSantis is winning over some former Trump supporters, including Jenn Turner, who voted for Mr. Trump in 2016 and 2020.
She said she is backing Mr. DeSantis this go-round because Mr. Trump is stuck in the past and too focused on settling personal vendettas.
“I could see the shift in him. All of a sudden it wasn’t about us. It was about how he wanted to get back against all the people that were against him,” Ms. Turner said.
She said Mr. DeSantis “stays on the mission.”
Ms. Haley is thought to have less riding on the Iowa results.
She has focused more of her attention on a strong showing in New Hampshire’s first-in-the-nation primary on Jan. 23. She got a bit of a boost Sunday when former Maryland Gov. Larry Hogan threw his support behind her.
“I think it is time for the party to get behind Nikki Haley,” Mr. Hogan said on CNN.
Ms. Haley is framing the race as a chance to “look back at the past and continue or go forward and start new.”
She said the only way Republicans are going to have more success in elections is if “we go forward with a new generational conservative leader and leave the negative and the baggage behind and go forward with the new solutions of the future.”
The message has resonated with voters who want to turn down the political temperature and believe that will not happen with Mr. Trump because of his unconventional ways and the antipathy Democrats have for him.
“I think she made a good point. We have kind of been through eight years of Trump. I appreciate it, you know, thanks. But let’s move on,” said Mark Wagoner of Polk City. “Honestly, I am tired of the spitballs shooting back and forth. I just don’t want the brouhaha.”
Mr. Wagoner said Ms. Haley is “pretty darn smart.” He said he believes her experience at the United Nations and as governor of South Carolina could help her end the chaos in Washington and usher in a period of more consensus.
“I think that is a wonderful background, and I am 72 years old. I would like to see a woman in the White House,” he said.
• Seth McLaughlin can be reached at smclaughlin@washingtontimes.com.
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