Final stretch before Iowa caucuses rattled by extreme cold
The final campaign stretch before Iowa Republican voters gather to caucus on Monday has been upended this cycle, with GOP presidential hopefuls canceling or postponing events and instead bracing for lukewarm turnout numbers as the state weathers dangerous sub-zero temperatures and a once-in-a-decade blizzard.
Blustery conditions on Friday forced Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis to postpone events, prompted former South Carolina Gov. Nikki Haley to move her events online and forced former President Donald Trump to cancel three of four events scheduled for the weekend and hold "tele-rallies" instead. He was still scheduled to hold his event in person in Indianola on Sunday.
That shakeup follows a slate of revised campaign events this week affected by similar arctic conditions. In the critical stretch of campaigning, while caucus goers have just three days to decide on their choice of GOP candidate, some Iowa leaders are split on whether the white-out conditions will impact turnout, even as the candidates plead with voters to brave the weather.
"Look, We're Iowans, it's January in the Midwest. We expect it to be cold. Yes, this may be the coldest caucus on record. I still think with the number of campaigns and what they've been doing-- we're gonna have tremendous turnout," Will Rogers, a former chairman of the Polk County GOP who is caucusing for Haley, told reporters at an Iowa Republican Party caucus preview on Friday afternoon.
Iowa Senate president Amy Sinclair, a DeSantis supporter, said she thinks the weather will decrease voter turnout, however.
"I think you'll see a decline in caucus participation. It's nasty. Older folks don't want to get out when it's that bad. Don't need to slip and fall and break something. Younger folks aren't necessarily committed enough to go out when the weather's nasty," Sinclair told ABC News.
The National Weather Service has announced a blizzard warning in Des Moines that continues into early Saturday, with wind gusts of up to 35 to 45 mph and wind chills of 25 to 45 below zero. On caucus night on Monday, the NWS forecasts lows of about -16 with blustery conditions.
It is reported to be the coldest caucus on record.
During a town hall that was moved online on Friday, Haley implored Plymouth County voters: "I will tell you I will be out there in the snow on Monday. Still fighting every day until we get to shake as many hands as possible. We have a country to save..what I will tell you is if you would caucus for me I would be eternally grateful."
Haley's Plymouth County tele-town hall was one of three events on Friday moved from in-person central and western Iowa stops to the internet.
Never Back Down, the pro-Ron DeSantis super PAC scheduled to host the governor at four events across Iowa on Friday, postponed four stops: in Clear Lake, Marshalltown, Pella and Coralville.
DeSantis's campaign, meanwhile, added a stop in Urbandale on Friday afternoon with Iowa Gov. Kim Reynolds, which followed another stop with the Governor in nearby Ankeny earlier in the morning."I'm really impressed that so many people came out given the weather. We are going to be - I'm going full speed ahead with whatever we have, but we want people to be safe. So if it's not safe, then we'll do and I get that going forward," DeSantis said in Ankeny on Friday.
After campaign staffers said Arizona senate candidate Kari Lake "would walk through a blizzard" to stump for Trump, the Trump team has canceled her event on Friday, instead offering up virtual interviews with Lake.
In total, the Trump team has canceled four events this week: two events on Monday with Sarah and Mike Huckabee, an event with Matt Whitaker and Roseanne Barr on Tuesday, and now with Lake. Trump is scheduled to be back on the campaign trail tomorrow with an event in Atlantic and Sioux City.
And 2024 GOP hopeful Vivek Ramaswamy -- who had canceled, and even video called into one event earlier this week after weather impacted his trip across the state -- extended a crammed Iowa event schedule this weekend amid the dangerous weather conditions.
With recent polls showing how Trump leading his closest rivals, DeSantis and Haley, by more than 40 points, according to 538's aggregation of polls, it's unclear who the eleventh-hour campaign activity shifts and potentially poor turnout numbers could hurt, or even help.
Trump has publicly touted his comfortable lead in the state, even amid the uncertainty of the caucus-night weather.
"You just have to put on that warm coat and get out there," he said, noting the frigid temperatures were"good news" because it would deter supporters of other campaigns instead of his own loyal base.
"Their people don't have the enthusiasm to vote and my people will walk on glass. They don't care. Right? Right. They'll walk on glass," he said.
ABC News' Lalee Ibssa, Will McDuffie, Hannah Demissie, Nick Kerr and Kendall Ross contributed to this report.
