Iowa GOP Corrects Casey DeSantis on Rules

“You do not have to be a resident of Iowa to be able to participate in the caucus,” Casey DeSantis said in “asking all of these moms and grandmoms to come, from wherever it might be—North Carolina, South Carolina—and to descend upon the state of Iowa to be a part of the caucus.” She made the comments Friday in an appearance on Fox News with her husband, Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis, a candidate in the GOP caucuses. He did not disagree with her, the Washington Post reports. The state Republican Party did, however, and explained in a post that the Iowa presidential caucuses are for Iowans.

“Remember: you must be a legal resident of Iowa and the precinct you live in and bring photo ID with you to participate in the #iacaucus!” the party wrote. Deb Pieper was among the voters who were misled. “I am from Nebraska, but I understand that I am able to caucus in Iowa,” Pieper said at an event Friday night in Sioux City, Iowa, for another candidate, Nikki Haley. “I just heard that. Ron DeSantis’s wife just said that. On the news. On Fox News tonight.” Others at the event told Pieper that she can’t vote, per the Post, though she can “have an influence.”

Donald Trump’s campaign attacked the appeal, per Politico, condemning the “dirty and illegal tactics” and urging “all Trump supporters to be aware of the DeSantises’ openly stated plot to rig the Caucus through fraud.” Ron DeSantis addressed the issue to reporters, saying: “Obviously, you can’t vote in the caucus, but you can help with it. They even let people go and speak on behalf of candidates.” His wife, who is promoting a “Mamas for DeSantis” movement, adjusted on X. They won’t be able to vote, she conceded in a post while still “calling on mamas and grandmamas from all over the country to come volunteer in support of Ron DeSantis in the Iowa caucus.” (Read more Casey DeSantis stories.)