DeSantis to keep 'full Grassley' promise with visit to final Iowa county
Gov. Ron DeSantis (R-Fla.) is on track to keep his promise to visit all 99 counties in Iowa during his 2024 presidential campaign, he announced Friday,
DeSantis said he’ll complete the “full Grassley,” named for the Hawkeye State’s senior Senator Chuck Grassley, with a final campaign stop on Saturday.
“When I tell you I'm going to do something, you can take that promise to the bank,” he said on X, the platform formerly known as Twitter.
"I told Iowans I would visit all 99 counties in the Hawkeye State — and tomorrow, I will deliver on that promise," he added.
While he will miss his original Halloween target date by just over a month, the achievement underlines DeSantis’ focus on Iowa as key to his campaign hopes.
The Florida governor has already accrued several endorsements in the state, including Gov. Kim Reynolds (R) and evangelical leader Bob Vander Plaats.
Despite falling far behind former President Trump in national primary polls, DeSantis has focused on Iowa with the hopes that a good performance there could give his effort momentum.
"I compliment any candidate that holds meetings in all 99 counties and completes what's now called the 'Full Grassley," the Iowa senator wrote to DeSantis, according to a post on the governor's War Room account. "I have found it is the best way to show Iowans everyone is important to hear from and no one is forgotten."
A campaign memo last month denoted Trump failure in Iowa as a critical need for the Florida governor.
“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 DeSantis memo read.
But former U.N. Ambassador Nikki Haley has gained on DeSantis in recent weeks, turning Iowa, South Carolina and other early states into key battlegrounds for both campaigns.
The Iowa caucuses, which will kickstart the GOP primary voting season, are set for Jan. 15.