Global Courant
Republican Senator Joni Ernst of Iowa says voters want a presidential candidate who can “pull together” a divided country, as GOP 2024 candidates from across the US are flocking to her state for Iowa’s first primary.
“I work really hard with a lot of different people to advance the interests of Iowa and the nation. And so I think they want to hear more about how we can bring the country together?” Ernst told Fox News Digital.
“It seems so on the edge. You know, we may have gone too far and need to bring it back to the center so we work together.
“And it’s fine to have strong values, but we need to find ways and areas where we can work together.”
TRUMP WINS OVERWHELMING AGAIN CPAC 2024 STRAW POLL
Senator Joni Ernst, R-Iowa, kicks off her Roast and Ride event on June 3, 2023 in Des Moines, Iowa. (Getty Images)
It will be about seven months before Iowa caucus voters hand a Republican candidate the crucial first win of what is expected to be a contentious primary season, and Ernst appears to have secured her role as a major stage manager in the state. Her Roast and Ride fundraiser in Des Moines this month drew eight presidential candidates and about 1,000 people.
She told Fox News Digital that she plans to interact more with the candidates in one-on-one events and advise them on how best to connect with Iowans.
“Joni is doing a great job getting the candidates in front of Iowans because it’s important they hear their message and what they can do and get the questions,” said Gloria Mazza, chair of the Polk County, Iowa, GOP.
Ernst said it was important for Iowa voters to be able to look candidates for elected office “in the eye” and “expect to be able to reach out and shake their hands.” She noted that Iowans have given her “a lot of feedback” so far.
Ernst told Fox News Digital that she’s heard good feedback from voters about fellow Senator Tim Scott and his presidential bid. (M. Scott Brauer/Bloomberg via Getty Images)
Senator Tim Scott, RS.C., and former U.N. ambassador Nikki Haley have received positive reviews, Ernst said, noting that some voters who now support former President Trump, the current frontrunner, may change their minds.
FIRST ON FOX: PENCE TARGETS TRUMP IN KICKOFF OF CAMPAIGN VIDEO
“Everyone is going to have their favorites. There are those who have really gotten on track with a few candidates so far,” the senator said. “The former president has his baseline here in Iowa, but I’ve heard from a lot of those people that they still keep their minds open.”
She said Senator Tim Scott, RS.C., and Nikki Haley are popular among Iowa voters.
Ernst said she invited Trump to her Roast And Ride event, which he did not attend. It appears to be part of a strategy to separate itself from the rest of the GOP primary field by eschewing traditional events.
Ernst and the rest of Iowa’s congressional delegation are playing a stage-setting role ahead of the nation’s first caucus, a political expert said. (Getty Images)
“It’s important that Iowans hear from all of them, but I think it’s a missed opportunity,” she said of Trump’s absence. “A lot of people remember the great policies of the Trump administration, but they want to know what he’s going to do to move forward, because in my opinion, we’ve had two really awful years under President Biden.
“Iowans don’t want to hear so much about the past. They want to look ahead and know how we’re going to correct the path we’re on now.”
WHO’S IN IT AND WHO’S ON THE SIDELINES – YOUR GUIDE TO THE 2024 GOP PRESIDENTIAL NOMINATION RACE
Tim Hagle, a political science professor at the University of Iowa, told Fox News that Digital Iowa sees itself as “some kind of testing ground” for candidates to “put their case” with Americans first.
“Even if they’re not really well known, at least they have a chance, and voters will listen to them. And so if you get a particularly higher level… office holders like (Governor of Iowa) Kim Reynolds and Joni Ernst, they’re more willing to kind of like being stage managers,” Hagle said.
Former Vice President Mike Pence rides a motorcycle during Ernst’s annual Roast and Ride fundraiser. The event attracted eight presidential candidates. (Getty Images)
Regarding Trump’s absence from these stage events, Hagle noted that Trump won in 2016 without winning in Iowa, adding “he’s on a different level” to the rest of the field.
CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP
“It’s just, you know, a different style and… I think (he) doesn’t see the need to engage in that kind of activity in the same way that other candidates who do need name recognition or are pursuing a more traditional caucus. approach will have to do,” he explained.
Ernst said she sees herself as a conduit between the candidates and Iowans and won’t risk tipping the scales by giving an endorsement ahead of the caucus.
“Too often people overlook our state. They overlook all these other states in the Midwest. And being the first in the country, we have the unique ability to speak out against these high-profile candidates,” said Ernst.
Elizabeth Elkind is a political reporter for Fox News Digital.
