Republican presidential candidates rally with Mariannette Miller-Meeks after death threats

IOWA CITY — Days after U.S. Rep. Mariannette Miller-Meeks said she received “credible death threats” for opposing Rep. Jim Jordan’s bid for speaker, the Iowa Republican’s annual fundraiser drew hundreds of supportive attendees and six GOP presidential candidates.

Standing on a truck bed-turned stage, Miller-Meeks defended her vote and her Congressional record at the Triple MMM Tailgate" fundraiser.

“I am never going to quit fighting for Iowa, and I am never going to quit fighting for this country," Miller-Meeks yelled. "So if you think you can intimidate me, go … suck it up, buttercup!"

Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis, former South Carolina Gov. Nikki Haley and U.S. Sen. Tim Scott were among the seven Republican presidential candidates to speak at Friday’s event. They focused on the Israel-Hamas attack and national security, making their pitch to Iowans why they should be the nominee to take on President Joe Biden next year.

2024 Caucus calendar: See where candidates are campaigning in Iowa

Frontrunner Donald Trump did not attend Friday’s event. Businessman Perry Johnson was scheduled to speak, but he suspended his presidential campaign on Friday morning.

Speaking to reporters after the event, Miller-Meeks praised Iowans for seriously considering all presidential candidates.

“Iowans take their job as electing the next president very seriously,” Miller-Meeks said. “They show up, they turn out.”

Ron DeSantis rallies for down-ballot races

Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis was the first presidential hopeful to speak at Friday’s event, starting with a denouncement of Biden’s response to the war between Israel and the militant Palestinian group Hamas, which the U.S. has classified as a terrorist organization.

He also criticized students protesting Israel’s actions in response to the attacks, calling them Hamas supporters and vowed to revoke the status of those with student visas.

DeSantis called for a renewed effort to strengthen national security by creating stricter policies at the southern border, including authorizing the use of deadly force on drug cartels.

However, he argued that these efforts would not be possible without the Republican party’s attention on districts like Miller-Meeks’ in Iowa.

“It’s a team effort. As your nominee, I’m going to be working up and down the ballot to make sure we return Republican and expand Republican majorities,” DeSantis said. “Districts like this are very important for us to be able to hold. You can’t do it by yourself as president, you got to have people that are going to help in the legislature that are going to share the vision.”

Vivek Ramaswamy worried about ground invasion of Gaza, compares conflict to 9/11

Entrepreneur Vivek Ramaswamy compared the ongoing Israeli-Hamas conflict to 9/11, urging caution from the country in order to prevent what he sees as mistakes made following the 2001 terrorist attack.

The Republican presidential hopeful said he believes the United States did not debate the merits of its actions following the terrorist attack 20 years ago, which ultimately resulted in trillions of dollars spent sending troops to Iraq and Afghanistan, a region that he argued was still unstable. He said the elected officials need to debate the merits of going after Hamas.

“I don't know whether this is politically advisable or not — I’m told it's not — but it's the truth,” he said. “I am deeply worried about the wisdom of this ongoing, potentially imminent ground invasion to Gaza, which I do not believe is going to be good for Israel and do not believe it's going to be good for the United States.”

Ramaswamy’s remarks were cut short by his walk-out song, "Thunder" by Imagine Dragons. But he waited on the truck bed stage until the song ended, then spoke until the next candidate’s walk-out song — Journey’s “Don’t Stop Believin'" — began.

Nikki Haley to House Republicans: 'Figure it out'

Haley opened her speech with a broad focus on national security: She said the Hamas attack on Israel was “flat-out torture,” and warned the crowd that China, Russia and Iran were an “unholy alliance” against the United States.

Haley blamed Biden for being “weak” and “slow,” but she also called on the members of her own party in Congress to “figure it out” and elect a new House speaker.

“When I was governor, we had a Republican House and a Republican Senate, and they butted heads all the time. And what I would do is I would bring them in a room, and I’d say, we’re not leaving until you figure this out. And we never let South Carolinians see how the sausage gets made” Haley said. “We need to start getting focused.”

As Haley left the stage, Miller-Meeks joked: “If Nikki Haley wasn’t running for president, I’d nominate her for speaker.”

Tim Scott calls US protests against Israel 'anti-Semitic'

Like many of the Republican candidates at Friday’s event, Scott denounced Biden’s response to the ongoing Israeli-Hamas conflict and called for an urgent response to aid the United States’ ally Israel.

The U.S. senator from South Carolina relied heavily on scripture during his remarks, stating he hopes the response to Hamas attack “comes with some Israeli-American hardware.”

Scott described protests happening across the country against Israel’s response in Gaza as anti-Semitic. If elected, he vowed to take away the Pell Grants of any college or university that allows for large-scale protests on its campus or otherwise supports what he described as anti-Jewish causes.

"Let's condemn Americans for their hate-filled response," said Scott, who opted to speak among audience members rather than take the stage for his remarks.

Ryan Binkley and Doug Burgum thank Iowans for careful caucus consideration

Texas pastor Ryan Binkley and North Dakota Gov. Doug Burgum, two lower-polling candidates in the primary field, praised Iowa's first-in-the-nation caucuses, and thanked Iowans for being willing to hear and consider their "grassroots" campaigns.

“Thank you Iowa, for not just being first, but thank you Iowa for being relevant,” Binkley said. “Because this is what allows (what) I would call a grassroots candidate to get a message out.”

Burgum joked with the crowd about North Dakota State football wins over the Hawkeyes and the Cyclones, and he fondly recounted his ride on a John Deere combine Friday afternoon.

"It's not pundits and it's not political insiders that pick presidents, it's Iowa caucusgoers who invest time, investing to learn and listen to candidates like you're doing tonight," Burgum said. "You play an incredibly important role in this country."

Asa Hutchinson, struggling in the polls, touts resume to distinguish himself from other candidates

Former Arkansas Gov. Asa Hutchinson tried to stand out among the shrinking pool of Republican presidential hopefuls, stating his experience as an appointed official at the U.S. Department of Homeland Security makes him the best candidate to respond to the ongoing Israeli-Hamas conflict.

He also argued that experience, which he was appointed to by former president George W. Bush, makes him well-equipped to improve border security — a common theme during Friday’s event.

“I understand what it means to lead in times of crisis,” Hutchinson said. “After 9/11, the president of the United States asked me to help protect America from a terrorist attack. I was in the situation room with him, and I saw the challenges we face. I am the only candidate for president that actually had the responsibility for border security."

Brianne Pfannenstiel is the chief politics reporter for the Register. Reach her at bpfann@dmreg.com or 515-284-8244. Follow her on Twitter at @brianneDMR.

This article originally appeared on Des Moines Register: Miller-Meeks hosts 2024 GOP candidates at '3M Tailgate' in Iowa City