Alexandra covers the 2024 U.S. presidential race, with a focus on Republicans, donors and AI. Previously, she spent four years in Venezuela reporting on the humanitarian crisis and investigating corruption. She has also worked in India, Chile and Argentina. Alexandra was Reuters’ Reporter of the Year and has won an Overseas Press Club award.
Contact: +4156053672
Iowa
Ron DeSantis and his backers paid $95,000 to an Iowa religious leader’s group
Aug 12 (Reuters) – As Florida Governor Ron DeSantis scrambles to shore up his struggling run for the Republican presidential nomination, he has spent far more than any rival on courting an influential Christian conservative leader and his following in the key early voting state of Iowa.
Trailing far behind former President Donald Trump in national polls and beset by turmoil in his campaign, DeSantis and his advisers are spending heavily in Iowa in hopes of stalling Trump’s momentum by beating him in the state’s caucuses on Jan. 15, where Republicans begin to choose their next presidential nominee. The state’s influential evangelical voting base is crucial to that strategy.
The DeSantis campaign, a super PAC linked to him and a nonprofit group supporting him together paid $95,000 in recent months to the Family Leader Foundation, an Iowa-based nonprofit led by evangelical leader Bob Vander Plaats, according to campaign finance reports and a document prepared by an Iowa state lawmaker who was helping the Vander Plaats organization raise money for a July 14 presidential candidate forum.
The document and the amount spent by DeSantis and his allies are previously unreported.
For that money, DeSantis and supporting groups got three pages of advertisements in a booklet distributed at the July forum attended by 2,000 Christian conservatives, and tickets to the summit, lunch and an after-dinner event.
But the real value may be more in building a relationship with Vander Plaats, whose endorsement is coveted in the early-voting state, said three campaign finance experts and an academic who studies Iowa campaign spending.
Vander Plaats and his group are leaders in the state’s Christian conservative movement, which has enormous political influence in Iowa. Roughly two-thirds of the state’s Republican caucus-goers in 2016 identified as evangelical, according to pollsters Edison Media Research.
“It’s a lot more money” than you typically see allocated in Iowa, said Steffen Schmidt, an emeritus political science professor at Iowa State University who studies political spending in the state. “It is a large amount for a very limited exposure in a booklet and for a single event,” he said.
In emailed comments to Reuters, Vander Plaats said the charges were “not even close to exorbitant” for the chance to be promoted before an audience of nearly 2,000 “engaged grassroots activists” at a forum that received extensive national political coverage.
“My only regret is that we probably should have charged more,” he said.
A spokesperson for DeSantis, Andrew Romeo, said the campaign was “proud to sponsor an ad with one of the largest and most effective social conservative groups in the state of Iowa.”
IOWA ‘KINGMAKER’
Vander Plaats, 60, has deep influence in the conservative and religious midwestern state. The last three Republican presidential candidates he endorsed – former Arkansas Governor Mike Huckabee in the 2008 election, former Senator Rick Santorum in 2012 and Senator Ted Cruz in 2016 – won the Iowa caucus but did not go on to win the Republican nomination.
In 2010, the year he took charge of the Family Leader group, he led a campaign that unseated three Iowa Supreme Court justices who had voted to overturn the state’s gay marriage ban.
He has said publicly that he could endorse someone near the end of the year besides Trump, who he has publicly criticized.
Vander Plaats said there was no link between money and his endorsement. “My endorsement has never been and never will be for sale,” Vander Plaats said. “My only interest is in bold, courageous, principled leadership for this country.”
But the cost to appear in the Vander Plaats’ group booklet in July was substantially above the prices of similar events.
Another religious advocacy organization, the Iowa Faith & Freedom Coalition, also sponsors a forum for presidential candidates each cycle, scheduled this year for Sept. 16 in Des Moines. That event charges attendees $75 per ticket. Candidates can buy sponsorship packages ranging from $500 to $5,000, said the group’s president, Steve Scheffler.
At the higher end, Scheffler said, candidates get more seats, a mention in the program as a sponsor and a table to hand out literature. He said the group covers most of the cost from donors, not from candidates. Scheffler said he does not endorse anyone.
Vander Plaats has long touted the power of his endorsement. In a 2015 email sent to a conservative group and reviewed by Reuters, he took credit for Santorum winning in Iowa in 2012. “We endorsed Rick Santorum and he stormed to a caucus victory due to our base of supporters,” Vander Plaats wrote.
“Vander Plaats clearly understands his political power, his kingmaker status in Iowa, and how thirsty candidates are for his endorsement,” said Paul S. Ryan, a lawyer who worked previously at two nonpartisan campaign finance watchdogs, Common Cause and the Campaign Legal Center.
A spokesperson for the pro-DeSantis super PAC Never Back Down, Jess Szymanski, said they had “proudly sponsored” the summit, “like every other participating political organization.”
Neither the DeSantis campaign nor Never Back Down answered detailed questions from Reuters, including whether the payments were meant to influence an endorsement decision.
PRICEY PACKAGES
The states in the Republican nominating calendar that vote after Iowa, including New Hampshire and Nevada, look more unfavorable to DeSantis, putting pressure on his team to deliver an upset win in Iowa that would revive their flagging campaign.
The fundraising document, reviewed by Reuters, lists contacts at Republican presidential campaigns, super PACs and other groups supporting the candidates, and details how much each was willing to spend ahead of the mid-July Family Leader forum, among the largest gatherings of social conservatives in Iowa before the caucuses. Six Republican presidential candidates spoke at the event.
A note at the top of the document says it was created by a Republican state representative, Jon Dunwell, who was helping raise money for Vander Plaats’ group. Dunwell referred a request for comment to Vander Plaats, who said Dunwell had been paid as an “independent contractor” since June.
According to the Vander Plaats’ group fundraising document, the DeSantis campaign paid $25,000 to the organization for its ad in a commemorative booklet distributed at the event and an invitation to a special after-event dinner with former Fox News host Tucker Carlson.
A political nonprofit backing DeSantis, And to the Republic, agreed to buy a table at the after-event dinner for $20,000, the document said. Representatives of the group did not return requests for comment.
Never Back Down paid for a two-page advertisement and dinner tickets for $50,000, according to the document and the group’s filings with the Federal Election Commission (FEC).
Republican presidential candidate Vivek Ramaswamy and a group allied with Senator Tim Scott, another Republican candidate, spent $25,000 each on ads in the commemorative booklet, campaign finance reports and the document show. Tricia McLaughlin, a senior advisor to Ramaswamy, said they paid for advertising because the Vander Plaats event does “a remarkable job of rallying conservative caucus-goers.”
A spokesperson for Scott referred questions to the pro-Scott super PAC, Trust In The Mission. A spokesperson for Trust In The Mission declined to comment.
Some candidates balked at the expense.
Former Vice President Mike Pence, a devout evangelical, declined to contribute. “There was a request for a large contribution for sponsorship, which we declined,” said Marc Short, Pence’s former chief of staff and a campaign advisor. “We didn’t think that was the best use for our donors’ money.”
The six candidates who attended the summit were not charged a fee, and those who did not pay for the booklet were also free to mingle with caucus goers. All six were interviewed by Carlson.
An examination of campaign finance filings shows that presidential candidates and supportive groups have been contributing to the Vander Plaats organization since at least 2011. Before this year, the largest contribution appears to be from the Patriot Voices super PAC, founded by Santorum and his wife, Karen. Patriot Voices sent the Family Leader organization $25,000 in 2012.
Santorum said in an email to Reuters that he and his wife founded the PAC after he dropped out of the race in order to support a grassroots movement of “pro-family conservatives.”
Trump did not attend last month’s event in Des Moines. That was Trump’s loss, Vander Plaats said in a post on the messaging platform X, formerly known as Twitter. He added that it “becomes more clear…people want to turn the page.”
A spokesman for Trump declined to comment.
Vander Plaats, meanwhile, has been making positive comments about presidential candidates Ramaswamy, Haley and Scott — and especially DeSantis. On Aug. 6, Vander Plaats said he and his wife attended church with DeSantis and his wife, Casey.
“They’re very easy people to be around. You like being around them,” Vander Plaats said on conservative podcast host Steve Deace’s show on Monday. “If the caucuses were held today, I don’t believe Trump wins. I think it’s probably DeSantis that wins.”
Alexandra Ulmer reported from San Francisco. Joseph Tanfani reported from Washington. Additional reporting by Jason Lange. Editing by Jason Szep
Our Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.
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Iowa
How To Watch Pop Tarts Bowl: Iowa State vs. Miami, Bowl Game TV Schedule
The Miami Hurricanes are back in action for the final time this season as they look to prove that they were one of the best teams in the league this season as they face the Iowa State Cyclones in the Pop-Tarts Bowl in Orlando.
What is better for the Canes is that most of their starting player from this previous season will be participating instead of opting out.
That means the No. 1 offense in the country will be on full display with Heisman finalist and the Davey O’Brien National Quarterback Award Winner Cam Ward taking the field with All-American Xavier Restrepo and the rest of the electric offense for the Hurricanes.
This will be the final game of a great, yet disappointing season for the Hurricanes but the morale is high as year three of the Mario Cristobal Era comes to a close.
Who: Miami vs. Iowa State
When: 3:30 p.m. on ABC
Where: Camping World Stadium, Orlando, FL
Series: First contest between the two teams.
Last time out, Miami: Miami came up short of reaching the ACC Championship Game after failing to stop the electric offense of the Syracuse Orange and losing 42-38 in the final game of the regular season.
Last time out, Iowa State: The Cyclones got blown out in the Big 12 Championship game against winners Arizona State 45-19 as they struggled to find offense all game long.
Mon., Dec. 23
Myrtle Beach Bowl
Coastal Carolina vs. UTSA
11 a.m. on ESPN
Famous Idaho Potato Bowl
Northern Illinois vs. Fresno State
2:30 p.m. on ESPN
Tues., Dec. 24
Hawai’i Bowl
South Florida vs. San Jose State
8 p.m. on ESPN
Thurs., Dec. 26
GameAbove Sports Bowl
Pittsburgh vs. Toledo
2 p.m. on ESPN
Rate Bowl
Rutgers vs. Kansas State
5:30 p.m. on ESPN
68 Ventures Bowl
Arkansas State vs. Bowling Green
9 p.m. on ESPN
Fri., Dec. 27
Armed Forces Bowl
Navy vs. Oklahoma
12 p.m. on ESPN
Birmingham Bowl
Vanderbilt vs. Georgia Tech
3:30 p.m. on ESPN
Liberty Bowl
Arkansas vs. Texas Tech
7 p.m. on ESPN
Holiday Bowl
Syracuse vs. Washington State
8 p.m. on Fox
Las Vegas Bowl
Texas A&M vs. USC
10:30 p.m. on ESPN
Sat., Dec. 28
Fenway Bowl
North Carolina vs. UConn
11 a.m. on ESPN
Pinstripe Bowl
Nebraska vs. Boston College
12 p.m. on ABC
New Mexico Bowl
TCU vs. Louisiana
2:15 p.m. on ESPN
Pop-Tarts Bowl
Miami vs. Iowa State
3:30 p.m. on ABC
Snoop Dogg Arizona Bowl
Colorado State vs. Miami (OH)
4:30 p.m. on CW Network
Military Bowl
NC State vs. East Carolina
5:45 p.m. on ESPN
Alamo Bowl
Colorado vs. BYU
7:30 p.m. on ABC
Independence Bowl
Army vs. Louisiana Tech
9:15 p.m. on ESPN
Mon., Dec. 30
Music City Bowl
Missouri vs. Iowa
2:30 p.m. on ESPN
Tues., Dec. 31
ReliaQuest Bowl
Alabama vs. Michigan
12 p.m. on ESPN
Sun Bowl
Louisville vs. Washington
2 p.m. on CBS
Citrus Bowl
South Carolina vs. Illinois
3 p.m. on ABC
Texas Bowl
LSU vs. Baylor
3:30 p.m. on ESPN
Thurs., Jan. 2
Gator Bowl
Ole Miss vs. Duke
7:30 p.m. on ESPN
Fri., Jan. 3
First Responder Bowl
North Texas vs. Texas State
4 p.m. on ESPN
Duke’s Mayo Bowl
Minnesota vs. Virginia Tech
7:30 p.m. on ESPN
–
Sat., Jan. 4
Bahamas Bowl
Buffalo vs. Liberty
11 a.m. on ESPN2
READ MORE FROM MIAMI HURRICANES ON SI:
2025 Miami Hurricanes Football Offseason Tracker: Coming and Going
Everything Miami Head Coach Mario Cristobal Said After Pop-Tart Bowl Announcement
Welcome to the ACC Bill Belichick, Mario Cristobal Time is Ticking: Just a Minute
Follow all social media platforms to stay up to date with everything Miami Hurricanes- Twitter, Facebook, Instagram, Youtube, and BlueSky.
Iowa
Iowa Republicans set up a shell game to mask the costs of tax cuts | Opinion
It is not “taxpayer relief” to use previously paid taxes to pay help pay for budget shortfalls caused by a “tax cut.”
This month, the state Revenue Estimating Conference reported new estimates showing Iowa revenue will drop by $602 million (6.2%) compared with fiscal year 2024. Further, state revenue is expected to drop by a further $428 million (4.7%) in fiscal year 2026, which begins July 1, 2025. Republicans attribute the fall in estimated revenue to the start of their 3.8% flat income tax rate next year. Republicans have promoted reducing the state income tax — which Sen. Jack Whitver derisively calls a “confiscation” — down to zero.
But Republicans have amassed a $2 billion budget surplus, $961 million in its reserve accounts, and $3.75 billion in the Taxpayer Relief Fund, which was supposed to be used to reduce taxes. All told, about $6.75 billion. One good question is: Why?
Republicans enacted a long-term commitment to reduced revenues due to the flax tax at an extremely volatile time during and after the COVID-19 epidemic. The federal government’s $5.2 trillion infusion into states and their economies was the largest fiscal stimulus package ever. One-time federal financial supports reduced state costs and artificially bolstered revenues. Recently, Pew Charitable Trusts observed: “The combination of temporary funds propping up budgets and the adoption of new recurring expenditures or tax cuts has left many states in a precarious position. Policymakers now must grapple with the possibility that their states’ finances are structurally imbalanced and vulnerable to deficits as one-time funds dry up but new commitments remain.”
Not wanting to “waste a good crisis,” as they say, Republicans rushed to enact a flat tax during an extremely uncertain economic time when the level of likely future tax revenues was cloudy at best.
As the COVID economic booster begins to fade, several states have experienced significant decreases in tax revenue as compared to their 15-year trend. Iowa was among states experiencing a negative difference in the fourth quarter of 2023 — mind you, before the flat income tax kicked in. Iowa experienced a 6% decrease in revenue from its historical trend, the fourth-highest difference among states that went negative, according to Pew.
Researchers explained: “State tax collections have been on a downward trajectory since their mid-2022 peak, reflecting, in large part, a decline from the unexpected highs of the pandemic revenue wave. … One question is whether states will be able to afford the budgetary commitments they made in the past three years — such as tax relief and pay raises for public employees — over the long term.”
Yet, Iowa Republicans want to enshrine their COVID-fueled tax cut into the Iowa Constitution. Last session, Republicans passed a constitutional amendment to require a two-thirds vote of both chambers of the state Legislature to pass a bill that would increase the individual or corporate income tax rate. They are expected to pass the legislation a second time this session, which would likely put it on the ballot for voters in November 2026. What a way to saddle future Iowans with a hasty tax cut enacted during a most abnormal period of artificially high revenue and reduced state expenses.
It is a sure thing Republicans will hoard Iowa’s surpluses and use it to cover predicted revenue gaps before the November 2026 vote on the constitutional amendment to mask from the voting public the true and lasting impacts of their opportunistic push for a flat tax.
In fact, Republicans and Gov. Kim Reynolds passed Senate File 2442 this year, which, among other things, changed the law regarding how the Taxpayer Relief Fund could be used. Tucked away in the second-to-last division of a 35-page bill is a section that provides that, if the actual net revenue is less than budgeted expenses “there is transferred from the taxpayer relief fund to the general fund of the state an amount equal to fifty percent of the difference or the remaining balance of the taxpayer relief fund, whichever is lower.” That is a preemptive coverup of the probable result of the Republican flat tax as conceded by Republicans, themselves.
Iowa Republicans are not using the Taxpayer Relief Fund as it was originally intended. It is not “taxpayer relief” to use previously paid taxes to pay help pay for budget shortfalls caused by a “tax cut.” Most would call that a shell game. It is like giving yourself a “raise” by moving a dollar from one pocket to another. Why not just give those “confiscated” funds back to Iowans directly via refunds? Ah, but that would spoil the game, wouldn’t it?
Unmet needs and underfunded state accounts exist now. That will get worse.
Governor Reynolds states Republicans have a “commitment to shrinking the size and scope of government.” However, should not elected officials be committed first to ensuring that our government is the “right size,” before deciding it should be shrunk? That is, the right size to fully accomplish basic functions that individuals cannot meet themselves —no matter how much of their own money they have in their pockets — such as prevention and mitigation of natural disasters, ensuring safe bridges and roads, making sure promised pensions are not underfunded, cleaning up Iowa’s fouled waters, and helping public schools at least meet their costs of operation.
Tom Walton is an Iowa lawyer.
Iowa
Iowa 95, Utah 88: A Balanced Comeback
Iowa 95, Utah 88: A Balanced Comeback
Nine months ago, Utah ended Iowa’s 2023-24 season in the second round of the NIT. Saturday night, Iowa faced off with Utah again at the Sanford Pentagon in Sioux Falls, South Dakota, and came away with a very solid 95-88 win over the Utes. The Hawkeyes used a dominant second half and a balanced scoring effort from the starting lineup to earn the victory.
Here are three takeaways from the game.
1. The Big Finish
Finishing strong hasn’t always been a strength for this particular Iowa team. The Hawkeyes couldn’t make enough shots (or get enough stops) in their neutral-site loss to Utah State last month and ran out of steam after playing very well against Iowa State for 35 minutes a few weeks ago.
Saturday, Iowa trailed 40-36 at halftime and was down 11 early in the second half after conceding a 9-2 run to the Utes out of the break. The Hawkeyes caught fire after that, rattling off 25 points in the next seven minutes of game action to tie the score at 63-all.
Down the stretch, it was the Hawkeyes who were making shots and getting stops. Iowa outscored Utah 20-13 after the game was tied at 75 with 6:59 to play. Iowa scored 59 points in the second half (to 48 from Utah), led by 16 points from Payton Sandfort, who shot 5-of-8 from the floor and was perfect at the free throw line (6-of-6).
Notably, Iowa scored 59 points in the second half despite shooting just 4-of-6 from 3-point range. After attempting 14 three-pointers in the opening 20 minutes (and making five of them), Iowa adjusted on offense in the second half, attacking the rim more and getting higher-percentage shots — and more trips to the free throw line, where the Hawkeyes went 17-of-24 after the break.
“We were moving the ball and driving the ball [in the second half],” Iowa head coach Fran McCaffery said after the win. “We settled too much in the first half. Payton said it [and] he was right, we hit a couple early and started settling.”
“[Then] they don’t have to play defense, they don’t get tired, they come down and they carve you up, they run good stuff. So we kept the ball moving the ball side to side, driving the ball, intelligent screening, back-cuts, that was the difference in the game.”
The sellout crowd at the Pentagon had a noticeable (and unsurprising) Hawkeye flavor, which helped fuel Iowa’s second half comeback. That, as well as the veteran core of this Iowa roster that’s had plenty of experience in these situations — both good and bad — at this point.
“Veteran guys,” said McCaffery on how Iowa was able to turn the game around in the second half. “We’ve got good players, we’ve got good ball-handlers, guys who’ve been through it, [the] crowd was great. I think [it was] a combination of all those things.”
2. Drew Thelwell’s Spark
One player who provided a notable spark in Iowa’s comeback effort was senior guard Drew Thelwell, making his third consecutive start. Thelwell didn’t make a basket in the second half — didn’t even attempt one, in fact — but he scored seven points on 7-of-8 shooting at the free throw line.
Thelwell drew five fouls (more than anyone else on the Iowa roster in the second half), although a few of those came late when the Utes were attempting to extend the game. Still, Thelwell’s ability to attack the defense and the energy he brought were key factors in Iowa’s comeback win.
“[His energy] is infectious,” McCaffery said after the game. “Everyone else goes with him, Brock [Harding]’s kind of that way as well. The energy in the building was phenomenal. Drew was right in the middle of that. His defense, drawing six fouls, those are stats that are critical to a team’s ability to win. You do that by driving the ball and drawing fouls and that’s what he did.”
McCaffery also expanded on what he was looking for when he was pursuing Thelwell out of the transfer portal earlier this year and what he’s brought to this Iowa team. “I was looking for a veteran point guard, who could run a team, who could play off the ball and score, guard his man,” he explained.
“I noticed immediately that this kid could play defense, and wants to play defense and wants to play at both ends, that he understands how to engineer a victory,” McCaffery said. “Drew Thelwell is a winner, that’s what I was looking for and that’s what we got.”
The man that Thelwell displaced in the starting lineup — Ladji Dembele — also had some key plays to spark Iowa’s comeback bid. After scoring zero points and grabbing just one rebound in the first half, Dembele had five points, three rebounds, and a steal after intermission. His two baskets came during Iowa’s surge after falling behind by 11 and helped cut a 7-point deficit to just two.
More importantly, he helped keep Iowa afloat in the second half, with Owen Freeman bolted to the bench with foul trouble (Freeman picked up three fouls in the second half and played under five minutes total after halftime). Dembele played 14:10 in the second half and he finished with a +13 plus-minus rating in those minutes, the highest of any Iowa player in the second half.
McCaffery praised the effort from Dembele and fellow sub Pryce Sandfort. “They’re just rock solid, both of them. All they care about is winning. Pryce, defensively, was tremendous. Ladji, boy was he great. [He] had his two big hoops. But then defensively, on the glass, [he had a] big time offensive rebound late, [a] couple in-traffic rebounds, just his awareness defensively was great.”
3. Balance Carries The Day
Recent years have seen multiple standout individual players that served as the focal points for their respective Iowa teams — Luka Garza, followed by Keegan Murray, and then Kris Murray. Those players were superstars at the college level, racking up All-Big Ten honors, winning Big Ten Player of the Year awards, and vying (or winning, in Garza’s case) for national honors as well.
There isn’t a player quite like that on this Iowa roster — but at its best, this is a team that has a lot of depth and scoring balance, with multiple players that can score and pass and put pressure on a defense. Saturday night saw them at something pretty close to their best, especially in the furious second half comeback effort.
All five Iowa starters finished in double figures in scoring, led by Payton Sandfort with 24 points and a game-high 8 rebounds. Freeman finished second on the team with 16 points, despite missing 75% of the second half with foul trouble. “Owen was really on his way to a big-time game, I felt bad when he got in foul trouble like that,” McCaffery said after the game. Freeman finished with 16 points and 6 rebounds.
Josh Dix and Drew Thelwell each added 15 points, with 10 of Dix’s points coming in the second half. Dix did his damage inside the arc in this game, going 7-of-9 on two-point shots and attempting just one three.
Finally, Brock Harding finished with 12 points, all in the second half. After going 0-for-5 in the first half, Harding went 4-of-8 in the second half, including 2-of-2 from deep. His first three gave Iowa its first lead of the second half at 68-67 and his second triple pushed Iowa’s lead to 88-80 with three minutes to play.
When Iowa is moving the ball well, setting screens, and attacking the rim like the offense was in the second half, this becomes a very difficult team to defend because there’s no one player that defenses can key on and try to slow down. Maintaining that focus and that aggressive mindset on the offensive end was key to Iowa’s win on Saturday — maintaining those same things over the next two-and-a-half months will be key to Iowa’s success in the Big Ten.
NEXT: Iowa finishes off non-conference play with a home game against New Hampshire on December 30 (6 PM CT, BTN).
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