Trump returns to Iowa aiming for disciplined campaign
DAVENPORT, Iowa — To outsiders, they looked like simple stacks of paper. But for Donald Trump’s first presidential campaign, they represented a missed opportunity.
A month before Iowa’s 2016 presidential caucuses, mountains of so- called pledge cards sat in the corner of Trump’s suburban Des Moines state headquarters. They contained the names and contact information of roughly 10,000 Iowans who attended Trump campaign events and responded by returning the cards suggesting they were open to backing the reality television star who was now seeking the White House.
In what’s considered political malpractice by Iowa standards, those who returned the cards received no follow- up contact from the campaign.
“None of that data was used. None of it was entered,” said Alex Latcham, the former political director for the Iowa Republican Party and now Trump’s early-voting state director. “And those people weren’t encouraged or mobilized to caucus.”
Chuck Laudner, who was Trump’s Iowa state director in 2016, didn’t respond to requests for comment. But by ignoring the cards, Trump’s team essentially left a pile of uncashed checks out in the open, leaving him vulnerable to betterorganized GOP rivals. He was beaten in Iowa by Sen. Ted Cruz of Texas, who would go on to fight Trump state by state for three months.
As Trump returned to Iowa on Monday, he and his team aimed for a more disciplined approach. They are particularly focused on building the data and digital engagement he will need to persuade Iowans to traipse through the cold and snow early next year to participate in the caucuses.
Still, moments after Trump’s plane touched down just outside the eastern city of Davenport, the former president was projecting confidence.
Asked how aggressively he would need to work to win the state in 2024, he downplayed the challenge.
“I wouldn’t think I’d have to be really too aggressive,” Trump said. “We’ve done a good job for the farmers. No president has ever done more for the farmers than I have.”
Though his swing through the eastern city of Davenport marks his first trip to Iowa since launching his third bid for the presidency, he’s held roughly three dozen events in the state since entering political life. They include several rallies that have attracted thousands since he left office in 2021.
His team is using information from those events to compile an exhaustive list of supporters to engage. The list now includes the data from the 2016 campaign that sat gathering dust.
“One of the advantages we have is that’s an awful lot of data,” said Trump senior consultant Chris LaCivita. “From every donor to rally attendee, we have all that information, which is important in a state like Iowa. This is ground-game stuff. It’s about finding and identifying favorable voters and making sure the campaign is turning them out.”
In the early phase of the 2024 campaign, Trump remains in a dominant position. But he faces notable challenges, including growing interest in the expected candidacy of Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis, who made his debut swing through Iowa last week.
Early polls show Trump remains widely popular among Iowa Republicans, though views of the former president have slipped somewhat since he left the White House. Now, 80% say they have a favorable rating of Trump, down slightly from 91% in September 2021, according to a Des Moines Register/ Mediacom poll released Friday.
The poll found DeSantis also gets a rosy review from Iowa Republicans, with 74% saying they have a favorable rating. Notably, DeSantis has high name recognition in a state over 1,000 miles away from his own; just 20% say they aren’t sure how to rate him.
Meanwhile, legal scrutiny surrounding Trump is also intensifying with potential indictments in the coming weeks that would make him the first former president in U.S. history to face criminal charges. He has been invited to testify this week before a New York grand jury that has been investigating hush money payments made on his behalf during the 2016 campaign, a move that often indicates a decision on indictments is near.
He told reporters Monday that he wasn’t sure whether he’d testify or not.
“I don’t know. Nobody’s even asked me,” he said. “It’s all a big witch hunt. It’s run by Democrats, radical left Democrats. It’s a disgrace. It ended years ago. Nothing happened. Take a look at extortion. Because that’s what it is. But it’s a way they try and win elections. It’s a disgrace.”
Elsewhere, the district attorney in Atlanta has said decisions are “imminent” in a two- year investigation into possible illegal meddling in the 2020 election by Trump and his allies. A Justice Department special counsel is also investigating efforts by Trump and his allies to undo the election as well as the handling of classified documents at his Florida estate.
The dynamics make the stakes particularly high for Trump in Iowa. As a former president who boasts of his standing atop the GOP, he can’t afford even a narrow loss in the contest that kicks off the nomination process.
And even the most sophisticated data and digital operation may not be enough to satisfy some Iowans, who are accustomed to having intimate conversations with those seeking the White House. Iowa GOP activists say Trump would do well to hold smaller events, including with influential local Republican leaders.
Before delivering an education policy speech in Davenport, Trump briefly stopped at the Machine Shed Restaurant, posing for pictures with unsuspecting diners and making small talk with wait staff. The former president devoted little time to such “retail politics” in past campaigns.