As you know, former President Donald Trump is by far considered the GOP favorite. But according to some, a recent snub of an evangelical forum in Iowa could cost him.
As FiveThirtyEight recently polled, Trump is still leading in Iowa, the first state to caucus, by a lot. Currently, he’s sitting with about 48 percent of the GOP’s support. Meanwhile, his closest rivals for the nomination, Florida Governor Ron DeSantis and former South Carolina Governor Nikki Haley, both only poll in the mid to high teens in the Hawkeye State.
But as Fox News reported, Trump recently snubbed The Family Leader forum on Friday, a popular presidential event for Christian conservatives in which candidates have a chance to connect with their base.
And as some conservative Christian leaders warn, including the head of The Family leader, Bob Vander Plaats, it could lead to Trump losing more than a few votes.
As Vander Plats says, his absence “communicates a lot to our base.” He added, “It’s a forum he’d want to take advantage of and remind our base of all the good things he did while he was president,” as well as all the good Christian-based ideas he may have for the future.
And since Trump did not attend, Vander Plaats warns it could give evangelicals far and wide the idea that Trump doesn’t really care about them or is taking their support for granted.
Now, as I stated above, Trump is still polling very well, even in evangelical Iowa. However, that doesn’t mean there’s much room for error from his campaign. And this just might have been one – especially considering his biggest rivals did attend the forum.
It is noted that DeSantis, Haley, and Vivek Ramaswamy all made an appearance at the event. DeSantis even told Vander Plaats he’d be there “no matter what happens,” according to The Des Moines Register.
Three Republican presidential candidates gathered Friday at a proverbial Thanksgiving dinner in Iowa for a “family discussion” on issues important to Iowa evangelicals like faith, Israel, agriculture, abortion and energy. https://t.co/ndJofix63b
— KWWL (@KWWL) November 19, 2023
For those like Vander Plaats, this means DeSantis is not only well-connected to his base but also committed to them, and that can go a long way in a presidential election.
It might not mean he’ll win. But it could mean he’ll take more than a few more votes from Trump.
