According to The Des Moines Register, Iowa State Senator Jeff Reichman reversed his endorsement for former President Donald Trump on Thursday. Instead, he now supports Governor Ron DeSantis, a Republican from Florida.
The reason behind State Sen. Reichman’s change of allegiance, as reported by the Register, was a tirade by Trump against Iowa’s governor. Trump asserted that he played a pivotal role in securing Kim Reynolds’ victory in the 2018 gubernatorial election by endorsing her when she was lagging behind.
In a post on his Truth account, Trump expressed his refusal to invite Iowa’s governor to events, stating, “I don’t invite her!” Recent polls indicate that the 45th president holds a strong lead among Iowa voters, with DeSantis trailing far behind.
According to the Register, Reichman, who has developed a close bond with Governor Reynolds and considers her like family, was displeased with Trump’s harsh criticism of her.
“Trump is very outspoken,” noted the Iowa state senator. “We’ve come to expect that, and that’s fine when it was focused at the right people.”
“And then this week, when it became focused on our governor,” Reichman continued. “I felt like it was the right thing to do to look out for our governor, our home team here.”
“Keeping that in mind, I decided to pull my endorsement for Trump.”
Trump has had previous ties to Iowa’s political landscape, as he nominated Terry Branstad, Reynolds’ predecessor, for the role of U.S. Ambassador to China.
During her 2018 election campaign, Reynolds, who succeeded Branstad as governor, received Trump’s endorsement.
Trump’s critique of Reynolds was met with disapproval from various other political figures.
Former Arkansas Governor Asa Hutchinson and former South Carolina Governor Nikki Haley were among those who expressed their support for Reynolds while condemning Trump’s criticism.
Governor Reynolds has maintained a neutral stance, welcoming various presidential hopefuls to Iowa.
Prominent figures like Mike Pence and Tim Scott have visited her, while more recently, Reynolds joined Casey DeSantis’ campaign, aiming to mobilize more women and parents in support of Ron DeSantis.
