DeSantis says he’s locked up the one thing he needs to beat Trump

Gov. Ron DeSantis’s (R-FL) campaign said that the endorsement from Gov. Kim Reynolds (R-IA) will allow the Florida governor to reverse his struggling campaign for president as he eyes a crucial win in Iowa.

On Monday, Reynolds, the conservative governor who has earned the ire of former President Donald Trump, endorsed his chief Republican rival for president. DeSantis is hoping that this support will be the boost his campaign desperately needs, making a major victory in Iowa possible. His campaign outlined the path to victory in a memo sent out to his national donor network, as well as a group of “uncommitted billionaires,” obtained by the Associated Press.

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“Everyone can universally agree that if Trump were to win big in Iowa it would create media and political momentum for his candidacy that would be difficult to stop heading into New Hampshire,” the memo, written by campaign manager James Uthmeier, deputy manager David Polyansky, and senior adviser Ryan Tyson, read.

“Additionally, a Trump loss or even a close battle in the Hawkeye State will reveal his political vulnerabilities and inspire Republican voters across the country who are either in the ‘not for Trump’ or ‘consider Trump and others’ camps,” it added.

The outline comes at the most vulnerable time of DeSantis’s campaign as the once heir apparent to the top of the Republican Party now fights for second place, with former United Nations Ambassador Nikki Haley taking that spot in some recent polls. Trump continues to dominate the field in first place, taking, on average, more than 50% of the vote.

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Despite Haley’s close polling to DeSantis, the memo dismissed her and the other Republican candidates as “at best, simply playing the role of spoiler — exponentially increasing the odds of a Trump nomination.”

Wednesday’s Republican debate in Miami, Florida, will see DeSantis and Haley face off for the first time since the latter has surged close and ahead of the governor in various polls. The two will be able to get more blows in after the stage narrowed to just five candidates.