Major Republicans visit the Quad Cities as 2024 nomination field takes shape

DAVENPORT, Iowa (KWQC) - With more than 300 days until the Iowa Republican Caucuses, two big names in the party are making visits to the Quad Cities in the coming days.

Florida Governor Ron DeSantis visits Davenport and Des Moines for his most recent book tour on Friday. He will be joined by Iowa Governor Kim Reynolds.

Meanwhile, next week former President Donald Trump will make a campaign stop for the 2024 election. According to a press release, he will be discussing his education proposals.

Finally, former South Carolina Governor and United Nations Ambassador Nikki Haley visited Council Bluffs and the Des Moines area this week.

As the candidate field starts to take shape very early, not all of those people have announced plans to run for office.

Trump announced he was running last November. He will be in both the QC and Des Moines in the next week.

Last month Haley and entrepreneur Vivek Ramaswamy announced their intentions to seek the Republican nomination as well.

DeSantis and South Carolina Senator Tim Scott are two notable republicans who have not declared their intentions to run. Scott also visited Iowa this year alongside Governor Reynolds.

University of Iowa political science professor Tim Hagle said these visits are a way for potential candidates to test the waters.

“There’s always some speculation as to whether they’re running for president just because it’s Iowa,” Hagle said. “If they do get a positive reception — if people are starting to talk about — yeah, that sounds like maybe somebody that might has a future.”

Many political experts consider DeSantis and Trump early front runners for the Republican nomination.

With only a handful of candidates declared with less than a year to go Hagle said the 2024 caucus cycle started a little slower than expected.

“At this point, you need to start talking to voters,” Hagle said. “That means showing up at a variety of events, whether it’s county events of some sort ... [A] local Republican Party, having a dinner fundraiser, something like that, or just showing up at something else, and talking and letting voters know that, ‘hey, I’m a viable candidate.’”

DeSantis will be in Davenport on Friday at the Rhythm City Casino starting at 9 a.m. Trump will be in Davenport on Monday at the Adler Theater. The program starts at 5:30 p.m.

The Republican caucus in Iowa will still be the first in the nation. Meanwhile, the Democrats approved a plan that boots Iowa as their first in the nation status.

A full calendar for either primary has not been released.

Copyright 2023 KWQC. All rights reserved.