Republican contenders already reaching out to Iowans

URBANDALE, Iowa — Ambitious Republicans are starting to make moves in Iowa, long a proving ground for future presidents. Their first step is finding out whether activists there have gotten over the last one.

Former Secretary of State Mike Pompeo was the first to confront that obstacle, portraying himself Friday to Iowa GOP activists as a loyal champion of former President Donald Trump’s agenda but in his own brand of plainspoken, Midwestern conservatism. Trump remains a hulking presence in Iowa, where he won twice by healthy margins. He’s hinted he’ll run again, and his false claims that the last election was stolen still dominate Republican circles.

But Pompeo’s visit fewer than five months since the November election shows Trump has hardly frozen the interest of other 2024 Republican presidential prospects. Pompeo’s Iowa trip leads an exceptionally early round of Iowa travel planned by U.S. senators emerging as national GOP figures.

During a wideranging talk with about 200 Des Moinesarea conservative activists at a breakfast meeting, Pompeo endorsed Trump’s court challenges to the 2020 election, but stopped short of repeating his false claims the election was stolen.

Instead, Pompeo credited Trump with putting the United States’ interests first around the world, while noting his own role in executing the vision. Pompeo made a point to remind his audience he oversaw the relocation of the U.S. embassy in Israel from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem, long a priority of Christian conservatives.

“As an evangelical Christian, the importance of Israel cannot be overstated, this important place in the world for generations to come,” he said, sparking applause from the audience. “I was glad to be just a small part of it.”

Pompeo and others making plans are welcome, activists say. But there remains hope Trump will run a third time.

Florida Sen. Rick Scott plans to visit Cedar Rapids on April 1, while South Carolina Sen. Tim Scott is scheduled to meet Republicans in eastern Iowa’s Quad Cities on April 15.

Arkansas Sen. Tom Cotton, who has met virtually with Republicans in the leadoff primary state of New Hampshire, is also making plans to visit Iowa in the coming months, advisers said. Pompeo plans to address New Hampshire Republicans virtually on Monday.