Playbook: “All of a sudden, the Florida governor wants to embrace his underdog status. As recently as last month, DeSantis had boldly predicted that ‘we’re going to win the caucus.’”
“He now appears to have realized that any further braggadocio could only compound his potential embarrassment tonight given the size and durability of Trump’s polling lead. We’re starting to hear from DeSantis allies that the pressure is actually on Haley to snag second — not him.”
“And yet DeSantis is the one who bet all his chips on Iowa — visiting all 99 counties, moving campaign staff to the Hawkeye State, landing the endorsements of Iowa Gov. Kim Reynolds and evangelical leader Bob Vander Plaats and, via his super PAC, knocking on nearly a million doors.”