Happy Halloween!
Over the weekend, former Vice President Pence Mike Pence announced he was suspending his presidential campaign after he was unable to gain traction in the crowded field. Pence had some sway among Iowa’s culturally conservative GOP base, but it was not enough for him to gain traction over the rest of the field.
In fact, a new poll out of Iowa continues to show former President Trump dominating the field in Iowa. According to an NBC News/Des Moines Register/Mediacom survey released on Monday, Trump holds a lead among likely GOP caucus-goers, with 43 percent saying he was their first choice.
Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis and former Ambassador to the United Nations Nikki Haley tied for second place with 16 percent. South Carolina Sen. Tim Scott came in third place with 7 percent support, while former New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie and businessman Vivek Ramaswamy tied for fourth place with 4 percent. North Dakota Gov. Doug Burgum and former Arkansas Gov. Asa Hutchinson received 1 and 3 percent, respectively.
Despite Trump’s dominance, the other candidates and their allies are not giving up on the first-in-the-nation contest. On Monday, the advocacy group And To The Republic, which is supporting DeSantis, rolled out a six-figure ad campaign in Iowa hitting Trump over his criticism of six week abortion bans. Meanwhile, Scott said on Monday that it’s “Iowa or bust” for his campaign.
“We are excited about where we are,” Scott said on the Hugh Hewitt Show. “We have made the decision that it’s Iowa or bust for us, and I’m looking forward to being there.”
The campaign season is also in full swing in the early primary state of New Hampshire as well.
On Monday, President Biden’s supporters launched a write-in campaign for the Granite State’s Democratic primary after the president declined to put his name on the ballot.
The “Write-In Joe Biden” campaign describes itself as a “private, grassroots” effort. Biden’s campaign has said the president wants to take part in the primary, but is following rules set by the Democratic National Committee, which placed South Carolina in front of New Hampshire as the first in the nation primary state.
