Influential evangelical leader Bob Vander Plaats of Iowa has officially endorsed Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis. Vander Plaats, the president and CEO of The FAMiLY Leader, a conservative Christian organization in Iowa, announced the endorsement on Fox News, emphasizing DeSantis’s repeated efforts to secure his support.
Vander Plaats, known for backing the last three winners of the Iowa GOP caucus, highlighted DeSantis’s recent appearances and engagement with his organization. The endorsement, along with support from Iowa Governor Kim Reynolds, is anticipated to strengthen DeSantis’s appeal to evangelical Christian voters in Iowa, a demographic that has traditionally supported former President Donald Trump.
During a Thanksgiving candidate roundtable hosted by The FAMiLY Leader, DeSantis reportedly “closed the sale” by emphasizing the need for a president capable of serving two terms and surrounding themselves with skilled individuals. Vander Plaats, critical of Trump’s approach and policies, sees DeSantis as having the “spine” and experience needed for effective leadership.
While Vander Plaats’s endorsement is personal and not tied to his organization, The FAMiLY Leader has direct contact with over 2,200 churches in Iowa. Despite Vander Plaats’s history of backing caucus winners, none of his supported candidates went on to win the nomination, prompting him to urge the country to pay more attention to Iowa.
The endorsement comes amid tensions between Vander Plaats and Trump, whom he has criticized as “the biggest risk” for Republicans. Vander Plaats suggested that the evangelical community may be divided on Trump due to fatigue with constant controversies. Trump’s pollsters downplayed the impact of Vander Plaats’s endorsement in a November memo.
Trump is claiming that DeSantis was trying to “buy” the evangelical leader’s endorsement. His campaign reportedly pre-empted the announcement by putting out a statement that suggested that the endorsement was due to DeSantis’ $95,000 payment to The FAMiLY Leader Foundation.
Vander Plaats shrugged off the connection between the money and his decision to support DeSantis during his Fox interview on Tuesday and said “everything we do is above board and in sunlight.” The payment got DeSantis and supporting groups “three pages of advertisements in a booklet distributed at a July forum attended by 2,000 Christian conservatives, and tickets to the summit, lunch and an after-dinner event,” according to a Reuters report.
The Trump campaign, in a memo sent from Tony Fabrizio, claims that the endorsement will not significantly impact the race, suggesting that the Iowa electorate does know Vander Plaats enough.
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