On the final day of campaigning in the frosty state of Iowa, Donald Trump is bolstered by fresh polling data that shows him leading the Republican pack ahead of Monday’s caucuses. The Des Moines Register/NBC News/Mediacom poll reveals that 48% of likely caucus-goers have named Trump as their top choice, leaving his closest competitors, former South Carolina Gov. Nikki Haley and Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis, trailing with 20% and 16% respectively.
The release of the poll marks the beginning of a hectic final day before what is expected to be the coldest caucus on record. With wind chills predicted to drop as low as 40-degrees below zero, the severe weather has largely forced Republicans to shift their campaign efforts to Zoom calls and tele-town halls, adding an element of uncertainty to a campaign that Trump has consistently seemed poised to dominate.
Trump, in a statement released late Saturday following the poll’s release, urged his supporters to brave the cold and show up at the caucus sites. “Our grassroots supporters have put us in position to win, and now we have to show up to Caucus for President Trump on Monday and get the job done,” he said. “We have to show up.”
Concerns over how the extreme weather might impact voter turnout are looming over the final stretch of the race for Iowa, a contest that has always appeared to be Trump’s to lose. The only potential setback for Trump could be if his supporters take the result for granted and choose the comfort of their warm homes over the arduous journey to the caucus sites.
The DeSantis campaign, in a late Saturday night message to supporters, dismissed the latest poll numbers and assured that their get-out-the-vote organization is “perfectly designed for the forecasted conditions.” Meanwhile, the Haley campaign highlighted their improved poll numbers and promised that Iowans would voice their desire for a “new generation of conservative leadership with Nikki Haley” despite the cold weather.
Trump, who was absent from Iowa for most of Saturday due to the weather, will be present for a rally in Indianola on Sunday afternoon and is scheduled to host a teatime tele-rally with GOP state Rep. Bobby Kaufmann. Upon arriving in Des Moines, Trump expressed concern about the weather’s potential impact on voter turnout but remained confident in the dedication of his supporters.
According to the poll, nearly 90% of Trump-supporting likely caucus-goers are extremely or very enthusiastic about voting for him, a figure that significantly overshadows his rivals. Only 62% of DeSantis supporters and 39% of Haley’s supporters in Iowa expressed the same level of excitement.
As the primary season finally begins, DeSantis, who entered the 2024 GOP presidential primary as the favorite to challenge Trump for the nomination, has become somewhat of an afterthought. Despite this, the underlying data in the DMR poll suggests he could outperform the baseline numbers, but even then, DeSantis will be campaigning over the next day like a man whose aspirations are very much on the line.
This story has been updated. CNN’s Jennifer Agiesta, Kate Sullivan and Veronica Stracqualursi contributed to this report.