URBANDALE, Iowa (AP) — 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 President Donald 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 some Republican circles. But several potential 2024 GOP presidential candidates have plans for trips to Iowa and other early nominating states this spring.
Former Secretary of State Mike Pompeo was in Iowa Friday, portraying himself to GOP activists as a loyal champion of Trump’s agenda but in his own brand of plainspoken, Midwestern conservatism.
