Beyond Trump’s strong overall lead, the survey showed the former president attracting 51% support from Iowa evangelicals, far more than he drew in 2016.
But Trump won the state by capturing 44% of evangelicals without a degree, double his share among the South Carolina evangelicals with a degree.
This year, DeSantis will likely need to shake Trump’s hold on evangelical voters if he is to finish well enough in Iowa to remain a viable candidate after Monday.
Asked if DeSantis can win evangelicals in Iowa on Monday, Vander Plaats pointedly responded: “I think he’ll do very well.”Compared to DeSantis, Haley isn’t betting on evangelical voters nearly as heavily in Iowa.
Even in the most optimistic scenario for DeSantis or Haley, Trump’s hold on evangelicals without a college degree looks like a rock in the road for them.
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