Florida Governor Ron DeSantis was asked about his shortlist of running mates during a campaign stop in Iowa.
DeSantis has been touring the state in a two-day blitz as his campaign struggles to stabilize following a series of mishaps.
He was asked if Iowa Governor Kim Reynolds was on his short list for vice presidents, to which he responded, “Of course.”
“I mean, she’s one of the top public servants in America.”
The trip comes as his campaign is narrowing its scope to focus exclusively on the early states of Iowa, New Hampshire, and South Carolina.
It also comes after DeSantis reportedly laid off a significant number of his campaign staff.
“From my understanding, if we don’t see a bump in the polls, we are basically going to shut down the idea of a national operation,” a DeSantis-aligned operative told NBC News.
DeSantis Compares Iowa to Florida
During the trip, DeSantis has frequently made comparisons between Iowa and his home state of Florida.
The Iowa governor signed a 6-week abortion ban into law on Friday, while DeSantis signed a similar bill in April.
He also brought up attacks on Reynolds by former President Donald Trump.
“I thought the attacks on her were totally, totally out of hand and totally unnecessary,” he said during a stop in Ankeny, Iowa.
Trump had criticized Reynolds for suggesting she would remain neutral during the primary process.
“I opened up the Governor position for Kim Reynolds, & when she fell behind, I ENDORSED her, did big Rallies, & she won,” he wrote on Truth Social.
“Now, she wants to remain ‘NEUTRAL.’ I don’t invite her to events!” he followed, poking at her apparent closeness with DeSantis.
For her part, Reynolds said she is not looking to join any 2024 ticket.
“I love what we’re doing here in Iowa, and hopefully, I continue to make it pretty clear we’re not done,” Reynolds told the Des Moines Register earlier this year.
“So I’m going to continue to ask and encourage candidates to come to Iowa, highlight what we’re doing here in the state and look for ways that we can continue to keep our national profile rising.”
