| | | | |  | | By Kimberly Leonard | Presented by the University of Central Florida | | 
Republican presidential candidate Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis speaks to supporters during a caucus night party, on Jan. 15, 2024, in West Des Moines, Iowa. | Charlie Neibergall/AP | Good morning from West Des Moines, Iowa, and welcome to Tuesday. Ron DeSantis narrowly won second place in the Iowa caucuses — but he still came in way behind first-place Donald Trump. The Florida governor was able to squeak by rival Nikki Haley and defy the polls that had him placing third. The results mean he’ll collect eight delegates and next face voters in New Hampshire on Jan. 23, where Haley appears to be closing in on Trump and the Florida governor trails both by wide margins. One disappointing outcome for DeSantis allies was that Trump ended the night with more than 50 percent support, undermining early arguments that most Republicans reject the former president. Then again, turnout was only slightly above 100,000 last night. Supporters were initially nervous last night in a ballroom at the Sheraton West Des Moines Hotel, where DeSantis volunteers as well as staff from the campaign and the Never Back Down political action committee gathered. They turned jubilant as soon as it was clear that DeSantis would place second, and Florida lawmakers who flew in to help the governor seemed elated after days of door knocking in sub zero temperature. “I would jump over the moon for this man because I believe in him,” said GOP state Rep. Kiyan Michael. “I know that he is what America needs.” Many of the governor’s allies said they were upset that The Associated Press called the race so early, before some caucusgoers cast their ballots. DeSantis supporters have long worried that voters won’t be motivated to get engaged if they think Trump has the primary in the bag. Scott Wagner, Never Back Down CEO, said an Iowan stood up in the middle of speeches at his precinct to announce that “the media just called the race for Donald Trump.” “Four people walked out of the room in disgust,” Wagner said. (Read POLITICO’s Zach Montellaro on why Trump’s victory was called so soon.) But Floridians were still excited to participate. The caucuses represented a homecoming for Florida Rep. Taylor Yarkosky, who grew up in the area and went to college at the University of Iowa. He told caucusgoers that DeSantis shared their values, telling them: “I know you. I know what's important to you because the man that I became is rooted in the biblical, constitutional law and order principles that I learned here in Iowa.” At another precinct, Florida House Speaker Paul Renner talked about DeSantis’ policies on public safety, the economy and the Covid pandemic. “If he believes in something he's not gonna worry about the political winds blowing one way or the other,” Renner said when asked to describe his pitch to Iowa. “He's gonna focus on getting the job done.” DeSantis said he plans to be in the race for the “long haul” but will face skepticism over how he can possibly defeat Trump in other states if he couldn’t do it in Iowa. — WHERE'S RON? Gov. DeSantis is flying to South Carolina for an event with Never Back Down, the super PAC supporting his presidential bid. Then he’ll fly to New Hampshire for a 9 p.m. EST town hall with CNN. Have a tip, story, suggestion, birthday, anniversary, new job, or any other nugget for Playbook? Get in touch at: kleonard@politico.com | | A message from the University of Central Florida: Florida needs skilled talent to grow its $79.9 billion high-tech economy. UCF’s impactful research, innovative approaches and powerful talent pipeline provides our state with in-demand engineering, technology and healthcare talent — fostering a new generation of innovators leading the charge where industry needs it most. That’s why UCF has been ranked a “Most Innovative University” by U.S. News — and why 1 in 4 of Florida’s engineering and health graduates earn degrees from UCF. See what UCF is doing to meet Florida’s talent demand. | | | |  | ... DATELINE TALLAHASSEE ... | |
HOUSING COSTS — “Lawsuits against Florida’s top property insurers decline. Is it a sign reforms are beginning to work?” by the South Florida Sun Sentinel’s Ron Hurtibise. “The sum of lawsuits against 25 top insurers included in the Sun Sentinel’s analysis shows a decrease from 44,550 in 2022 to 38,678 in 2023 — a difference of 13.2 percent.”
CROSSING THE AISLE — “Florida GOP lawmakers turned to Maine Democratic leader to discuss drug pricing plan,” reports Florida Politics’ Jacob Ogles. “The committee discussed whether importing cheaper drugs from Canada will stifle innovation, and why the price of medication differs in each state. [Drew Gattine] notably praised efforts in Florida, a state with a population of 22 million, while Canada has a population of about 38 million.” | | PENINSULA AND BEYOND | | | | | | JOIN 1/31 FOR A TALK ON THE RACE TO SOLVE ALZHEIMER’S: Breakthrough drugs and treatments are giving new hope for slowing neurodegenerative diseases like Alzheimer’s disease and ALS. But if that progress slows, the societal and economic cost to the U.S. could be high. Join POLITICO, alongside lawmakers, official and experts, on Jan. 31 to discuss a path forward for better collaboration among health systems, industry and government. REGISTER HERE. | | | | |
MISSING — “What happened to thousands of voters? Registrations suddenly drop in Broward, Palm Beach counties,” reports the South Florida Sun Sentinel’s Anthony Man. “The drop-offs in South Florida and elsewhere in the state have generated questions, concerns — and even a conspiracy theory — at the beginning of what already promises to be an enormously contentious election year in which people will decide on the presidency and, possibly, referendums on highly charged questions of recreational marijuana and abortion rights … So what’s going on? What seems like starting reductions is the latest manifestation of ‘list maintenance’ conducted by county supervisor of elections offices.”
PRESENT — “School absenteeism has hit record levels in Florida. Santa Rosa bucking the trend,” by Pensacola News Journal’s Katherine Kokal. “State lawmakers have signaled they're interested in learning more about absenteeism and fighting it. Members of the House Education Quality Subcommittee heard from experts on absenteeism in December and referenced the data from the state Department of Education in its hearing.” | | CAMPAIGN MODE | |
TODAY — Voters in House District 35 are heading to the polls to elect a new state representative after DeSantis tapped the former seatholder, GOP Rep. Fred Hawkins, to be president of South Florida State College. The choices are between Republican Erika Booth, a conservative member of the Osceola County School Board, and veteran Tom Keen, a manager at Collins Aerospace.
FIRST IN PLAYBOOK — Whitney Fox, Democratic candidate for the U.S. House, raised more than $200,000 in the last quarter of 2023 as she vies to unseat GOP Rep. Anna Paulina Luna. The Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee reported that average donations were $31.15. Fox said in a statement that her campaign was "doubling down" to campaign on "high cost of groceries and rent, protecting a woman’s right to make her own health care decisions, and protecting earned benefits like Social Security and Medicare for our seniors." MORE ON FUNDRAISING — Campaign finance reports for the final quarter of 2023 were filed last week and they showed that many of those with a keen interest in the outcome of this year’s legislative session made sure to chip in substantial donations. Republicans, as usual, dominated the topline numbers. The Republican Party of Florida — along with the two campaign committees controlled by GOP legislative leaders — took in $10.27 million during the last three months of the year. The Florida Democratic Party and the two committees linked to Democratic leaders reported raising $2.66 million separately but this does include some overlap since one of the committees shifted money to the state party. Florida Democratic Party chair Nikki Fried had her best quarter — $1.1 million — since she took over last February. But the real story behind the reports is the donations coming in from those who will be affected by legislation dealing with everything from energy, technology, gambling and legal issues. Duke Energy gave $440,000 to three committees controlled by top Democratic and GOP legislators. Publix donated $100,000 to the Republican Party of Florida, $75,000 to House Republicans and $50,000 to Senate Democrats. Trulieve — the major medical marijuana company that also bankrolled the proposed initiative to bring recreational marijuana to the state — gave $100,000 to the Republican Party of Florida, $50,000 to House Democrats and $50,000 to Senate Democrats. Florida Justice PAC — the committee associated with the group representing trial attorneys — donated $100,000 to the Republican Party of Florida and $75,000 to the Florida Democratic Party. — Gary Fineout CAUCUS DAY TAKEAWAYS — Trump flexes and the rest of the field fades: 5 takeaways from a big night in Iowa, by Adam Wren and Natalie Allison. “In the immediate aftermath of the results, as candidates convened with supporters at various Des Moines-area hotels and venues, the path forward for Trump’s rivals looked increasingly narrow. To veterans of the state, it was clear that Iowa had served its winnowing purpose.” SPEAKING — “The unusual political vocabulary of Ron DeSantis,” by the Washington Post’s Hannah Knowles. “DeSantis’s at times esoteric political vocabulary reflects who he is as a presidential candidate: wonkish, cerebral and attuned to the leading edges of a conservative ‘war on woke,’ which animates the GOP base but can fall flat elsewhere. He is less inclined to make small talk about his personal life than strike up a conversation about policy — say, a recent Supreme Court decision with implications for pork production, which he once brought up while grilling with Iowa Republicans.” | | | | A message from the University of Central Florida:   | | | | | DATELINE D.C. | | |  A pedestrian walks past the Leading Insurance Agency, which offers plans under the Affordable Care Act, on Jan. 28, 2021, in Miami, Fla. | Joe Raedle/Getty Images | HEALTH CARE DEADLINE — “The Affordable Care Act enrollment period ends Tuesday, and Florida again leads the nation in sign-ups,” per Health News Florida. “National projections show a quarter more Americans signed up for coverage this year compared to last — another record-breaking year when 16.3 million enrolled in the program … Florida alone accounts for about 20 percent of the national numbers.” FATAL CROSSINGS — The National Transportation Safety Board said Saturday it will investigate two crashes involving Florida’s Brightline train that killed three people at the same railroad crossing on the high speed train’s route between Miami and Orlando, reports The Associated Press’ Freida Frisaro. — “Democrats target GOP strongholds Texas and Florida with Senate majority on the line,” reports The Associated Press’ Will Weissert | | | | YOUR GUIDE TO EMPIRE STATE POLITICS: From the newsroom that doesn’t sleep, POLITICO's New York Playbook is the ultimate guide for power players navigating the intricate landscape of Empire State politics. Stay ahead of the curve with the latest and most important stories from Albany, New York City and around the state, with in-depth, original reporting to stay ahead of policy trends and political developments. Subscribe now to keep up with the daily hustle and bustle of NY politics. | | | | | | | ODDS, ENDS AND FLORIDA MEN | |
BIRTHDAYS: Meredith Ivey, deputy secretary in the division of community development at Florida’s Department of Economic Opportunity
(Was Monday) Ed George, former journalist and former communications director for the Department of Lottery … | | A message from the University of Central Florida: Florida offers a high-tech economy with booming opportunities. Home to the fourth-largest tech workforce in the U.S. — and aiming to be in the top three by 2030 — Florida is a destination of choice for high-tech industries including cybersecurity, experiential tech, aerospace and healthcare.
At its heart in Orlando, the University of Central Florida leads as a metropolitan research university fueling this tech talent surge. It’s why we’ve committed to educating more than 25,000 engineering and technology students annually and recruiting 150 new faculty with $40 million in state support. Through future-focused initiatives that align with industry demand, we are ready to meet Florida’s needs and cultivate the skilled workforce of tomorrow. Find out why UCF is a leader in providing Florida’s tech talent. | | | | | | | Follow us on Twitter | | | | Subscribe to the POLITICO Playbook family Playbook | Playbook PM | California Playbook | Florida Playbook | Illinois Playbook | Massachusetts Playbook | New Jersey Playbook | New York Playbook | Ottawa Playbook | Brussels Playbook | London Playbook View all our political and policy newsletters | | Follow us | | | | |
