(NewsNation) — Major Iowa evangelical leader Bob Vander Plaats is expected to endorse Republican presidential candidate Gov. Ron DeSantis Tuesday, two sources familiar with the development tell NewsNation.
Vander Plaats is one of the most influential evangelical figures in the state, and his backing has been sought by many of the top GOP contenders.
A spokesman for Vander Plaats had no comment, nor did a DeSantis campaign spokesman.
The endorsement comes as welcome news for the struggling DeSantis campaign, which has seen its support lagging support in recent months.
DeSantis has shifted his focus to Iowa, investing much of his time and beefing up staffing in the Hawkeye State, where voters hold their first-in the-nation caucus in less than 2 months, Jan. 15, 2024. He recently received the endorsement of Iowa’s popular Republican governor, Kim Reynolds.
Vander Plaats is President and CEO of The Family Leader organization, which says it inspires the church to engage government to advance key moral issues and to strengthen the family.
He hosted GOP candidates DeSantis, Nikki Haley and Vivek Ramaswamy last Friday for a “Thanksgiving Forum” to talk about their positions on various issues important to the evangelical community, a crucial voting bloc in the state. All three talked about their opposition to abortion and their promotion of family-centric issues.
Vander Plaats has a good track record, backing the eventual winner of the three most recent Iowa caucuses: Ted Cruz in 2016, Rick Santorum in 2012 and Mike Huckabee in 2008.
Donald Trump did not attend Friday’s event or a previous one the group sponsored earlier this year.
With his backing of a six-week abortion ban and other positions, DeSantis has previously indicated he thought Vander Plaats would back him, one of the sources says. CBS first reported DeSantis’ expectation.