Top Iowa evangelical leader says ‘people want to turn the page’ on Trump

A major evangelical leader in Iowa argued Monday that a gathering of religious conservatives last week showed many voters are ready to “turn the page” from former President Trump.

Bob Vander Plaats, president of The Family Leader in Iowa, offered his takeaways from the group’s summit in Des Moines last Friday. He said former South Carolina Gov. Nikki Haley “intrigued and impressed,” while entrepreneur Vivek Ramaswamy was “inspired and on message.” Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis (R), he said, was “in command and validated his leadership bona fides.”

Vander Plaats said the biggest win was Iowa Gov. Kim Reynolds (R) signing a heartbeat abortion bill at the event, while the “biggest loss” belonged to Trump, “as it becomes more clear … people want to turn the page.”

Vander Plaats has long been a leading evangelical figure in Iowa, which will host the first caucuses on the GOP primary schedule next January. He has endorsed the last three winners of the Republican caucuses, including Sen. Ted Cruz (R-Texas) in 2016.

He has been critical of Trump in recent months as the former president pursues the Republican nomination in 2024, but Vander Plaats has yet to endorse a particular challenger.

Trump drew blowback in Iowa last week by skipping the Family Leadership Summit, which was attended by most major 2024 Republican presidential candidates, and by attacking Reynolds on social media over her decision not to endorse a candidate in the primary.

The former president is set to attend a town hall event in Iowa Tuesday hosted by Fox News’s Sean Hannity.