Donald Trump just received a ringing endorsement for the GOP presidential nomination.
On Monday, Republican Brenna Bird, the attorney general in Iowa, endorsed Trump while attending a campaign rally in her home state, at Adel. Bird becomes the second statewide elected official in Iowa who has thrown her support behind a candidate in the GOP race.
While speaking to the crowd packed with Trump supporters, Bird said:
“We need a new president in the White House. I am so glad to get to be here today to introduce Donald Trump because he will secure our border. Who supports that?
“He will fight the terrorists. He will fix the economy. He will stand up for agriculture, and he will uphold our Constitution and our way of life.”
Republican Roby Smith, the treasurer of Iowa, was the first statewide elected official to officially endorse a GOP candidate for president. Back in August, he officially endorsed Vivek Ramaswamy, the biotech entrepreneur.
The endorsement from Bird could prove to be key for Trump, as he needs to shore up some support in the Hawkeye State. He angered some people in Iowa recently when he criticized states that have an abortion ban after six weeks of pregnancy, and Iowa is one of those states.
He made those comments during a conversation he was having about fellow Republican candidate Ron DeSantis, the governor of Florida.
In defending the moves of her home state, and that of DeSantis’ Florida, Iowa Governor Kim Reynolds said recently:
“It’s never a ‘terrible thing’ to protect innocent life.”
Reynolds herself hasn’t officially endorsed any candidate for the Republican presidential nomination yet. However, she has appeared with DeSantis at some events recently, which has drawn Trump’s ire.
Back in July, Trump publicly criticized Reynolds’ approach to the primary election when he posted on his social media platform, Truth Social:
“I opened up the Governor position for Kim Reynods, & when she feel behind, I ENDORSED her, did big Rallies & she won. Now, she wants to remain ‘NEUTRAL.’ I don’t invite her to event! DeSancuts down 45 points!”
Bird was elected to her post in 2022, which made her the first Republican to hold the position of attorney general in Iowa since back in 1979. During a debate for her position before last November’s midterm elections, Bird said she was “pro-life” and would defend the laws that are passed by the Legislature.”
Regardless of who ends up supporting Trump in Iowa, the former president is still the far-and-away most likely candidate to capture the GOP nomination. He’s way ahead of his contenders in both local and national polling.
RealClearPolitics reported recently that DeSantis is still in second place in Iowa polls. In polling averages for South Carolina and New Hampshire, RCP reports that Nikki Haley, the former governor of South Carolina who served as the ambassador to the UN in the Trump administration, is the candidate in second.
