Iowa Republicans aren’t taking too kindly to former President Donald Trump’s recent dig at their state’s governor, a new poll has found.
A whopping 78% of likely GOP caucusgoers disagreed with the former president’s jab earlier this month at Gov. Kim Reynolds for not endorsing his candidacy, while only 17% agreed with it, according to the survey conducted by Public Opinion Strategies.
Trump retains a commanding 24-point lead over his peers in the Hawkeye State, according to the latest RealClearPolitics polling average, and is the clear frontrunner nationally.
But the survey finds that Reynolds is deeply popular in the leadoff Republican voting state, with an 84% approval rating among respondents.
The Trump campaign has dismissed Public Opinion Strategies’ polling in the past, saying the firm is biased in favor of Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis.
Trump lashed out at Reynolds last week after a New York Times report suggested she is warming up to DeSantis, the 77-year-old’s chief rival in the 2024 GOP race.
“I opened up the Governor position for Kim Reynolds, & when she fell behind, I ENDORSED her, did big Rallies, & she won. Now, she wants to remain ‘NEUTRAL.’ I don’t invite her to events! DeSanctus down 45 points!” Trump wrote on Truth Social last week, using his preferred spelling of DeSantis’ name.
The former president was alluding to Reynolds becoming the Hawkeye State’s governor after Trump appointed her predecessor, Terry Branstad, to serve as US ambassador to China.
Reynolds has appeared at events featuring numerous 2024 Republicans aspirants. But she has publicly said, “I’m not going to tell Iowans what to do” in 2024 and reportedly insisted privately that she will remain neutral.
Eyeing a potential opening, DeSantis rushed to Reynolds’s defense.
“She’s one of the top public servants in America,” DeSantis said after the dust-up, USAToday reported. “I thought the attacks on her were totally, totally out of hand and totally unnecessary.”
The 44-year-old further left open the possibility of naming Reynolds as his running mate at some point down the road.
Trump lost the 2016 Iowa caucuses to Sen. Ted Cruz (R-Texas), but won the state in both the 2016 and 2020 general elections.
The survey shows both DeSantis and Trump with high approval ratings in Iowa with 78% having a favorable view of DeSantis and 72% having a favorable view of Trump.
The poll was conducted July 14 through 16 among 400 likely Republican caucus goers and had a margin of error of plus-or-minus 4.9 percentage points.
