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Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis’ Iowa trip raises White House speculation

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Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis’ Iowa trip raises White House speculation


TALLAHASSEE, Fla. — Will he or won’t he run?

That continues to be the question as Florida’s governor departs for another out-of-state trip this weekend. Ron DeSantis is hitting Illinois Friday evening, then the key caucus state of Iowa on Saturday, only furthering speculation that a White House bid is right around the corner. 

Wthout saying so, DeSantis is giving every indication that he’s getting ready for a bid. He hasn’t given a firm “no” when asked, and has a new book laying out his political platform.

Post-legislative session, Florida governor is in the air again, this time to Iowa, making two Saturday stops. He’ll appear at a state GOP fundraiser in Cedar Rapids and a cookout with Rep. Randy Feenstra, R-Iowa.

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 The official word is DeSantis is there to boost conservatives, not himself. 

“What’s next for me is to go through this budget that they passed,” DeSantis said on May 5 when asked about his political future.

Yet speculation over a White House run continues to grow, and DeSantis is now starting to lean in.

“I may have something to say about the overall landscape for ’24, but stay tuned on that,” DeSantis said on Thursday.

Ready and waiting is super PAC Never Back Down.

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“I’ve never seen anybody do the things he’s doing and not get in,” said Ken Cuccinelli, a former Trump official and founder of Never Back Down.

Cuccinelli founded the PAC after the midterms, hoping to lay a political foundation for DeSantis and encourage him to jump in. 

The PAC already has one ad campaign running in early primary states like Iowa. It’s raised at least $30 million and even has people on the ground doing door knocks for DeSantis. 

“He’s the most popular Republican in America. I’m not talking about polling results. That will all come later,” Cuccinelli said. “But he is literally the most favorably viewed Republican in America today. Because people know he’s been doing such a great job.

But what about polling?

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At the moment, the former president looks to be dominating. His campaign this week shared an Iowa survey showing DeSantis back 34 points. Though pundits suggest it means little. 

“This is way too early to be paying attention to polls,” said Dr. Susan MacManus, a Professor Emerita at the University of South Florida in Tampa. “I remind people that in 2019 there were 20 Democrats seeking the Democratic nomination for the 2020 election, and it was three states or four states into the primary system before Biden even had a shot.”

Speaking of Democrats, they and other DeSantis opponents are launching TV, digital, and radio ads to run in Iowa as the governor makes his stop. 

The five-figure ad buy will “introduce his extreme agenda to Iowans” said DeSantis Watch, and they’re not all the governor has to worry about. 

Former President Trump also hosting his own Iowa rally on Saturday in Des Moines. 

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Once allies, the two have started taking shots at each other, with Trump now dubbing Florida’s governor “Ron De-Sanctamonious.”

What exactly Trump and DeSantis will say is another big question as we head into Saturday. 

While the governor has been more reserved with his criticism, Trump has taken the gloves completely off, alleging DeSantis running is an act of disloyalty.





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Who the ranked Iowa high school football teams face in Week 7

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Who the ranked Iowa high school football teams face in Week 7


Williamsburg’s Grant Hocker looks to throw for a 2-point conversion against Cedar Rapids Xavier earlier this season. (Savannah Blake/The Gazette)

The Gazette offers audio versions of articles using Instaread. Some words may be mispronounced.

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Here’s who all 71 Iowa high school football teams ranked in this week’s Gazette poll face in Week 7 games Friday night.

Class 3A gets the spotlight this week as its top two teams face top-seven opponents. No. 1 Algona visits No. 7 Humboldt, while second-ranked Williamsburg hosts a Solon team eager to bounce back from last week’s loss to Benton Community that dropped it from the top spot.

There is intrigue in the 8-Player top five as well, where three of the top five teams face fellow unbeaten foes. That includes No. 1 Remsen St. Mary’s taking on No. 10 Woodbine and No. 2 Algona Garrigan hosting Ruthven GTRA.

Class 5A

No. 1 West Des Moines Valley (5-1) vs. Waterloo West (5-1)

No. 2 West Des Moines Dowling (5-1) at Urbandale (3-3)

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No. 3 Bettendorf (6-0) at Davenport Central (2-4)

No. 4 Pleasant Valley (5-1) vs. Muscatine (2-4)

No. 5 Ankeny Centennial (4-2) vs. Des Moines Roosevelt (1-5)

No. 6 Linn-Mar (5-1) vs. Davenport West (0-6)

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No. 7 Johnston (4-2) vs. Council Bluffs Lincoln (4-2)

No. 8 Iowa City Liberty (5-1) vs. Ankeny (3-3)

No. 9 Waukee (4-2) at Southeast Polk (3-3)

No. 10 Sioux City East (4-2) vs. Des Moines Lincoln (1-5)

Class 4A

No. 1 Lewis Central (6-0) at Winterset (4-2)

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No. 2 Pella (6-0) at Des Moines Hoover (0-6), Thursday

No. 3 North Polk (6-0) at No. 10 Indianola (4-2)

No. 4 Gilbert (6-0) vs. Bondurant-Farrar (1-5)

No. 5 Decorah (6-0) at Marion (2-4)

No. 6 Adel ADM (5-1) at Ballard (3-3)

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No. 7 Cedar Rapids Xavier (4-2) at Oskaloosa (1-5)

No. 8 North Scott (4-2) at Clear Creek Amana (4-2)

No. 9 Newton (4-2) vs. Carlisle (0-6)

No. 10 Indianola (4-2) vs. No. 3 North Polk (6-0)

No. 10 Western Dubuque (4-2) at Waterloo East (2-4)

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Class 3A

No. 1 Algona (6-0) at No. 7 Humboldt (5-1)

No. 2 Williamsburg (5-1) vs. No. 5 Solon (5-1)

No. 3 Dubuque Wahlert (6-0) at West Delaware (4-2)

No. 4 Sergeant Bluff-Luton (6-0) vs. Carroll (4-2)

No. 5 Mount Vernon (5-1) vs. Fort Madison (0-6)

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No. 5 Solon (5-1) at No. 2 Williamsburg (5-1)

No. 7 Humboldt (5-1) vs. No. 1 Algona (6-0)

No. 8 Sioux City Heelan (4-2) at Boyden-Hull/Rock Valley (1-5)

No. 9 Independence (4-2) at Maquoketa (1-5)

No. 10 Nevada (5-1) at Harlan (3-3)

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Class 2A

No. 1 West Lyon (6-0) at Sheldon (2-4)

No. 2 Monroe PCM (6-0) at West Marshall (5-1)

No. 3 Spirit Lake (5-1) at Garner GHV (1-5)

No. 4 Van Meter (5-1) vs. Centerville (4-2)

No. 5 Carroll Kuemper (5-1) vs. Saydel (1-5)

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No. 6 North Fayette Valley (5-1) vs. Oelwein (0-6) — canceled, Oelwein to forfeit

No. 7 Northeast (6-0) at Tipton (2-4)

No. 8 Central Lyon/George-Little Rock (4-2) vs. No. 10 Western Christian (4-2)

No. 9 Roland-Story (4-2) vs. Des Moines Christian (4-2)

No. 10 Western Christian (4-2) at No. 8 Central Lyon/George-Little Rock (4-2)

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Class 1A

No. 1 Grundy Center (6-0) at Alburnett (4-2)

No. 2 Wilton (6-0) at West Branch (2-4)

No. 3 Dike-New Hartford (5-1) vs. Aplington-Parkersburg (2-4)

No. 4 Emmetsburg (6-0) vs. Eagle Grove (0-6)

No. 5 Iowa City Regina (6-0) at Dyersville Beckman (4-2)

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No. 6 Ida Grove OABCIG (5-1) vs. No. 10 Hinton (5-1)

No. 7 South Hardin (5-1) at Hudson (5-1)

No. 8 Treynor (5-1) vs. Shenandoah (3-3)

No. 9 Sigourney-Keota (5-1) at Colfax-Mingo (1-5)

No. 10 Hinton (5-1) at No. 6 Ida Grove OABCIG (5-1)

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Class A

No. 1 West Hancock (6-0) at Lake Mills (4-2)

No. 2 Guthrie Center ACGC (6-0) vs. Mount Ayr (5-1)

No. 3 Saint Ansgar (5-1) at West Fork (1-5)

No. 4 Lisbon (6-0) vs. Danville (4-2)

No. 5 Earlham (5-1) at Oakland Riverside (4-2)

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No. 6 Tri-Center (5-1) vs. No. 8 Woodbury Central (5-1)

No. 7 Le Mars Gehlen (5-1) at South O’Brien (0-6)

No. 8 Woodbury Central (5-1) at No. 6 Tri-Center (5-1)

No. 9 North Linn (6-0) vs. Maquoketa Valley (5-1)

No. 10 Madrid (4-2) at North Mahaska (3-3)

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8-Player

No. 1 Remsen St. Mary’s (6-0) vs. No. 10 Woodbine (6-0)

No. 2 Algona Garrigan (6-0) vs. Ruthven GTRA (6-0)

No. 3 Don Bosco (6-0) vs. Turkey Valley (3-3)

No. 4 Audubon (6-0) vs. Collins-Maxwell (4-2)

No. 5 Lenox (6-0) vs. Southeast Warren (6-0)

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No. 6 Iowa Valley (6-0) vs. HLV (1-6)

No. 7 Gladbrook-Reinbeck (5-1) at Clarksville (5-2)

No. 8 Anita CAM (5-1) at Fremont-Mills (5-1)

No. 9 Bedford (5-1) vs. Lamoni (4-2)

No. 10 Woodbine (6-0) at No. 1 Remsen St. Mary’s (6-0)

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Comments: nathan.ford@thegazette.com





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Iowa State women’s basketball star Emily Ryan discusses eating disorder in video

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Iowa State women’s basketball star Emily Ryan discusses eating disorder in video


Iowa State women’s basketball star Emily Ryan released a video Thursday in which she discusses her battle with an eating disorder.

Ryan, a senior from Claflin, Kansas, has been one of the Big 12 Conference’s best point guards for the past few seasons. She was a first-team all-conference pick in 2022, and a second-team selection in 2023.

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“By sharing my story, I hope to build awareness and provide hope to everyone else fighting an invisible battle,” Ryan said in the video.

Ryan said her sense of self-worth was dependent on Iowa State’s success and her individual performance. That led to increased time spent in the weight room in an effort to get stronger and faster. When Ryan didn’t see the results that she desired, she began to focus on her diet.

Ryan said the Iowa State medical staff expressed their concern about Ryan’s eating habits and what it was doing to her body. Ryan said she was in “complete denial” about having an eating disorder, but her health continued to worsen.

Ryan missed the first nine games of the 2023-24 season due to the eating disorder. When she returned, she said, “off the court I was really struggling. By the end of the season, I was physically and mentally hanging on by a thread.”

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During the offseason, Ryan spent 88 days at a treatment center in Denver.

“It took a long time but I finally came to the understanding that being sick wasn’t my fault, and eating disorders are real, complex illnesses,” she said.

How to get help

For resources on disordered eating, call the National Eating Disorders Helpline at 800-931-2237 or text NEDA to 741741.



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Latest Iowa high school volleyball rankings reveal regional pairings

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Latest Iowa high school volleyball rankings reveal regional pairings


It was an important date around the state for volleyball teams in Iowa, as the latest rankings were released and regional pairings in all five classes were revealed.

The two come into play once regionals reach the championship round, as the higher-ranked team will serve as the host for those games.

All five No. 1 squads remained the same, as Ankeny Centennial (Class 5A), Cedar Rapids Xavier (4A), Mount Vernon (3A), Denver (2A) and Ankeny Christian (1A) held serve.

New teams to the Top-15 include Iowa City West in 5A, Ballard in 4A, Wapsie Valley in 2A and Stanton in 1A. The entire 3A poll remained the same while Sidney made one of the biggest climbs, moving to ninth from 12th in 1A.

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Regional play for 1A and 2A begins Oct. 21 with 3A, 4A and 5A starting Oct. 22. The state tournament is scheduled for Nov. 4-7 in Coralville from the Xtream Arena. Complete regional pairings can be found on Bound.

Class 5A

1. Ankeny Centennial; 2. Pleasant Valley; 3. Ankeny; 4. West Des Moines Dowling; 5. Indianola; 6. Waukee Northwest; 7. Cedar Falls; 8. Cedar Rapids Prairie; 9. Waukee; 10. Iowa City Liberty; 11. West Des Moines Valley; 12. Sioux City East; 13. Iowa City West; 14. Iowa City High; 15. Linn-Mar.

Class 4A

1. Cedar Rapids Xavier; 2. Sioux City Bishop Heelan; 3. North Scott; 4. Clear Creek-Amana; 5. Lewis Central; 6. Pella; 7. Glenwood; 8. Carlisle; 9. Marion; 10. Adel-ADM; 11. Norwalk; 12. Sergeant Bluff-Luton; 13. MOC-Floyd Valley; 14. Ballard; 15. Grinnell.

Class 3A

1. Mount Vernon; 2. Western Christian; 3. West Delaware; 4. Dubuque Wahlert; 5. Davenport Assumption; 6. Sioux Center; 7. Carroll Kuemper; 8. Mid-Prairie; 9. Cherokee; 10. Wilton; 11. Solon; 12. Anamosa; 13. Roland-Story; 14. Clarinda; 15. Nevada.

Class 2A

1. Denver; 2. Eddyville-Blakesburg-Fremont; 3. Dyersville Beckman; 4. Dike-New Hartford; 5. Aplington-Parkersburg; 6. South Hardin; 7. Boyden-Hull; 8. Pella Christian; 9. Iowa City Regina; 10. Hinton; 11. Grundy Center; 12. Sumner-Fredericksburg; 13. Wapsie Valley; 14. West Burlington; 15. Shenandoah.

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Class 1A

1. Ankeny Christian; 2. Holy Trinity; 3. Saint Ansgar; 4. Riverside; 5. BCLUW; 6. Janesville; 7. North Tama; 8. Don Bosco; 9. Sidney; 10. River Valley; 11. Akron-Westfield; 12. Stanton; 13. Fremont-Mills; 14. Southwest Valley; 15. Gladbrook-Reinbeck.



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