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On Monday, Senator Joni Ernst, R-Iowa, posted on the social media platform X that Donald Trump has a “great base across the state of Iowa.” Ernst added the reason many Iowans support President Trump is that he has “worked so hard in his administration to make sure that every American had access to our great ethanol products at the pump, and that really excites our Iowa farmers.”
She added, “So he does have a good, good draw in the state of Iowa.”
In an interview with Fox News Digital, Ernst explained that she works “really hard with a lot of different people to advance Iowa’s interests and the nation’s.” Because of this work, Ernst thinks voters “want to hear more about how we bring the country together.”
Leading up to the Iowa caucus, Ernst has made efforts to introduce candidates and voters by creating public events where the two groups can connect. Ernst believes it is important for political candidates to look their voters “in the eye” and that voters “expect to be able to reach out and shake their [candidate’s] hand.”
Donald Trump has been invited several times to these events, but he usually turns down the invitation. Iowa University Political Science Professor Tim Hagle thinks Trump “doesn’t see the need to engage in those types of activities in the same way that other candidates do.”
Furthermore, while Trump turned down these specific events, he has still campaigned steadily within the state. Trump has held multiple campaign events throughout Iowa, including several Commit to Caucus events in preparation for the Iowa caucus in January 2024.
