There in picturesque Des Moines, Iowa, the heart of the quirky state that will, in a scant 10 weeks, begin to test whether there’s substance behind the swampy squeeze Donald Trump has on current polling, popular Gov. Kim Reynolds embraced GOP presidential candidate Ron DeSantis, her Sunshine State counterpart.

“I believe he’s the candidate [who] can win,” she said. “And we also not only need somebody that can win, but we need somebody that has the skill and the resolve, which he clearly does, to reverse the madness that we see happening across this country.”

This is meaningful, timely, and altogether different from the absurdly premature clear-the-runway endorsement of Donald Trump issued via Newsweek by Florida Sen. Rick Scott last week. 

Different because high-profile Iowa elected officials usually refuse the endorsement business, and different, also, per Politico, because Reynolds’ break with tradition will resonate within Iowa’s political class.

Bob Vander Plaats, the influential Iowa evangelical leader, said he has conferred with Reynolds several times and acknowledged her decision will influence him as he prepares to make an endorsement in the presidential race in the coming weeks.

He has spoken positively about DeSantis, so much that Trump has already called into question any potential endorsement due to $95,000 the DeSantis operation paid to Vander Plaats’ Family Leader Foundation ahead of its annual summit in July.

Moreover:

The Kim Reynolds endorsement could be the biggest of the election cycle by far. Here’s why: other than winnowing down the field, Iowa doesn’t always matter in terms of who the ultimate nominee ends up being, but this year I think it matters more than most. That’s because there is…

— Scott Morefield (@SKMorefield) November 7, 2023

This, too, is not insignificant: Whereas Scott revels in his role as a nettlesome outsider annoying even to the GOP faithful — Politico tabbed his reelection campaign the “No Regrets Tour” — Reynolds is massively popular among Iowans (who, as musical legend has it, can “stand touchin’ noses for a week at a time and never see eye-to-eye”), especially likely Republican caucus-goers, among whom she enjoys a whopping 81% job-approval rating.

Reynolds, it appears, is a mover of needles in the Hawkeye State.

KCCI on Gov. @KimReynoldsIA's "historic move" to endorse @RonDeSantis.

"In September, a CBS poll found that Reynolds would have the most influence on who Iowans should caucus for." pic.twitter.com/IRlAyaupsB

— DeSantis War Room 🐊 (@DeSantisWarRoom) November 7, 2023

If Iowa Republicans like Reynolds, they’ll find plenty about DeSantis to warm to as well. The pair long have been on the same side of issues such as abortion limitations, blunting LGBTQ activism, state-funded school choice, tax-whacking and deregulation, and — here’s their meet-cute — became frequent correspondents as leading-edge governors who spurned federal lockdown guidance coming from the Trump White House during Covid-19.

DeSantis told the Register that Reynolds’ endorsement is noteworthy, not only because of the star power she brings to the race, but because he believes Iowa and Florida represent the future of the party.

“It’s meaningful to me, because this is really the model I think that the Republican Party can use to succeed going forward,” DeSantis said of Reynolds’ endorsement. “What Kim’s done here, what we’ve done in Florida, Brian Kemp in Georgia — these are states that used to be viewed as very competitive, and we’ve been able to win really, really big victories. And I think it’s because of leadership and then results.”

The names dropped there are far from coincidental. Along with DeSantis and Reynolds, Georgia’s Kemp caught the wrath of Trump (serving as Tony Fauci’s frontman) when he, too, was among the earliest governors to shake off the federally endorsed Covid shackles.

Here’s your double-barreled coda:

“I think what some of these influencers will say is, if you don’t kiss the ring for Trump for 2024, then somehow you’re a RINO,” he said. “You have some people that have horrendous records, but if they kiss the ring, somehow they’re great. Like, that is not good posture. Because we’re in this, not for personality, we’re in it to deliver results for people. … And so I think that when Trump is attacking really strong, accomplished Republicans for self-serving reasons, that’s a dead end for the Republican Party.”

Reynolds agreed. “That is destructive to the party,” she said.

Choose wisely, says Kim Reynolds.

Kim Reynolds is on message today stumping for Ron DeSantis: 👇🔥

"We need to make sure that we choose wisely, that we make the right decision, that we elect somebody who can actually win and beat Joe Biden. And we need a president who has the skills and the resolve to reverse… pic.twitter.com/Le5eYzBTdF

— Scott Morefield (@SKMorefield) November 7, 2023