The Democratic Speaker of the House during much of the 1980s, Tip O’Neill, was famous for saying that “all politics is local.” The Republican caucuses in Iowa next week will test that claim, as a mode of politics focused on state and local connections clashes with a more nationalized form. …

Perhaps most prominently, Florida governor Ron DeSantis has focused his campaign on Iowa, completing the “full Grassley” (named after the state’s senior Republican senator) by holding an event in every county in the state. He has rallied the traditional kingmakers of Iowa politics, securing endorsements from many state legislators as well as prominent evangelical leader Bob Vander Plaats, who has backed every Iowa winner since 2008. DeSantis has also won the coveted endorsement of the popular Republican governor, Kim Reynolds.

Conversely, Trump has spurned retail politics in Iowa and other states. He has often been absent from the campaign trail and has refused to participate in primary debates. The former president is instead betting on a national strategy.