MASON CITY, Iowa — Ron DeSantis wrinkled his face as he talked to reporters Tuesday and declared a Federal Elections Commission complaint filed against his presidential campaign “a farce.”
“I mean, give me a break,” DeSantis said after headlining a morning campaign event in Iowa.
It was the latest hurdle for the Florida governor with fewer than four weeks left in an Iowa campaign he says he expects to win.
A campaign watchdog group accused DeSantis' campaign of coordinating in violation of federal law with the outside super PAC responsible for millions of dollars in advertising and the organizational groundwork supporting him in the leadoff caucus state.
“Trust me, I have no — there's a lot of things that happen that I wish I had control over,” DeSantis said in response to a question about the complaint.
Neither the complaint nor the staff turnover in his political operation — including the departure of the super PAC's chief adviser on Saturday — seemed to resonate deeply according to conversations with Iowa Republicans at his events Tuesday.
“I wasn’t even aware of any of that,” said 54-year-old retired school superintendent Jerry Buseman, a DeSantis supporter who traveled 30 minutes to see him in Mason City. “Does it influence me? Not really. I’ve listened to his message and I think it’s the real deal.”
Instead, DeSantis continued his aggressive campaign in Iowa, campaigning in eastern, northern and central Iowa, part of a four-day swing with roughly a dozen campaign stops.
At a morning event in Cedar Rapids, he ticked through familiar lines over the last several months, including his push for restrictions on race and gender education and his fight against entertainment giant Disney over what critics labeled the “don't say gay” bill.
“I did not get elected to subcontract out my leadership to a woke corporation in Burbank, California,” he said, receiving a short ovation before pivoting to critiquing the GOP's electoral and policy strategy before the clapping stopped.
In that way, DeSantis' workmanlike campaign style with its few crescendos belied the pressure he faces, having wagered his candidacy's future on a strong finish in Iowa where former President Donald Trump leads by wide margins in recent polls and is hoping a blowout curtails the nominating campaign.
Instead, he pointed to organization on the ground, built almost entirely by the super PAC Never Back Down, a tool for delivering support to the Jan. 15 caucuses. DeSantis has also amassed endorsements of key figures in Iowa's GOP network, notably Iowa Gov. Kim Reynolds.
“We've amassed tens of thousands of supporters who are committed, ready to go. We're adding more every day," he told reporters in Mason City. “I'm putting in the work. I'm showing up. I'm answering the questions. Ultimately, that's something that's meaningful for these Iowans."
Trump, who has visited Iowa less often though drawn larger crowds, also claims to have tens of thousands of committed supporters. Meanwhile, former United Nations Ambassador Nikki Haley has accelerated her Iowa campaigning, with polls showing her competing with DeSantis for second place.
In its complaint to the Federal Elections Commission, the nonpartisan watchdog group Campaign Legal Center accuses DeSantis of breaking campaign finance law by communicating about ad spending decisions by Never Back Down.
The watchdog group cited recent reporting by The Associated Press and others. The AP reported last week that multiple people familiar with DeSantis’ political network said that he and his wife Casey had expressed concerns about the messaging of Never Back Down and were specifically frustrated after the group took down a TV ad criticizing Haley for allowing a Chinese manufacturer into South Carolina when she was governor.
Eric Crock of Cedar Rapids was happy the pro-DeSantis super PAC had shed advisers who may have disagreed with him, but that it will matter little to Iowa Republicans.
“I don't think people are paying attention to that stuff,” said Crock, a 45-year-old supporter who works for a grocery store chain. “But I do think it shows people are hearing his message now, not someone else's. So that's good.”