Why Voters Say They Are Backing Trump, Haley or DeSantis

Stacey Smith, 48, a stay at home mom from Ames and supporter of former President Donald Trump, said she wasn’t worried about Nikki Haley putting forward a formidable challenge to Trump. Smith, who was attending an event where Trump’s son Donald Trump Jr. was set to speak, said she doesn’t like Haley’s support for Ukraine. Haley, a former United Nations ambassador and South Carolina governor, has taken a more traditional Republican approach to helping U.S allies. Trump has been leading polls in Iowa and other early states by wide margins, but Haley has been steadily moving up and has a shot to be competitive against him in New Hampshire, which will vote next week.

Republican Paul Blosser, 69, a data analyst from Des Moines, said he was backing Haley because he thinks the party needs to move on from Trump. “Sticking with Trump is like being stuck in a bad relationship,” he said. Ron Steenhoek, a 78-year-old retiree from West Des Moines, said he planned to caucus for DeSantis. “I like that he’s already confronted some of the problems our country has in his state and he’s solved them,” he said.