DES MOINES, Iowa — Just weeks away from the Iowa Caucus, presidential candidate Gov. Ron DeSantis says he is hitting milestones in his Iowa campaign.
DeSantis has visited 98 of Iowa's 99 counties, with only Jasper County still to go. He believes that this strategy is the "right way" to campaign in Iowa.
"You're able to hear from people in all corners of the state about their concerns about the future of the country, about what they want to see the next president," he said in a one-on-one interview with Local 5's Dana Searles. "So, it's not only something I think is important in terms of earning votes, it's also something that helps you as a leader to know what people are thinking and how you can channel that into really turning this country around."
On the campaign trail, DeSantis gained an unprecedented endorsement from Gov. Kim Reynolds, propelling his campaign forward.
"I think it's been great. I mean she is respected across the board by Iowa Caucusgoers because she's done a great job, she's been a great leader, so when she says something like 'Gov. DeSantis is the best leader that I've been able to watch,' that carries a lot of weight," DeSantis said.
On Tuesday, DeSantis gained another notable Iowa endorsement from Bob Vander Plaats, an Evangelical conservative leader and CEO of The FAMiLY Leader.
Each of the last three candidates Vander Plaats has endorsed won the Iowa Caucus, but not the Republican nomination.
Still, DeSantis believes these endorsements will make an impact, specifically Reynolds' endorsement.
"I think it opens up a pathway for us to garner a lot more support, and she didn't need to do that . . you know, it's always easier to stay on the sidelines," DeSantis said. "But she believes in that, she believes that this is the right direction for the country, and I think that's going to be very meaningful for Iowans."
The latest Des Moines Register/NBC News/Mediacom poll shows that Donald Trump and DeSantis have the same amount of consideration from likely Republican caucusgoers.
DeSantis claims that his work across the state, as well as endorsements in Iowa, are already causing voters to flip allegiances.
"We've got a lot of enthusiasm and we've got a great organization that has been built out on the ground, probably the best at this point of the caucus that anyone can remember, and that's really important," DeSantis said.
The time on the campaign trail is where DeSantis says he hears how Iowans will caucus.
"Even when you see quote 'Trump leading', a lot of those people in those polls are willing to vote for someone else," DeSantis said. "And so, we were just doing events the other day, people come up to me and they say, 'You flipped me, you flipped me, you flipped me.' So that's what we have to do, flip some of those voters and then continue to get more undecided voters. But we're gonna win it. You gotta to go for number one and that's what we're doing."
Earlier on the campaign trail, DeSantis said he would consider Reynolds as running mate. While that is still an option for him, he emphasized Reynolds' commitment to Iowans.
“I’ve said she would be qualified for all those positions that people talk about, that or the cabinet or anything. So that’s clear, now she does love her job here, she’s doing a great job, she’s not asking or angling for anything, I can tell you that," DeSantis said. "She just believes that I am the guy that can turn the country around."
Watch the full one-on-one interview below: