Donald Trump nabs high-profile caucus endorsement from Iowa Attorney General Brenna Bird
Brianne PfannenstielADEL — Iowa Attorney General Brenna Bird has endorsed Donald Trump in the leadup to the 2024 Republican caucuses.
The high-profile endorsement comes as Trump continues a weeks-long Iowa blitz in his bid to cement his lead ahead of the caucuses.
"Having your endorsement is such a great honor," Trump told Bird, calling her "one of the truly most respected people in all of politics."
Bird, who is serving her first term, has been aggressive in using her position to join lawsuits challenging President Joe Biden’s Democratic administration on issues such as its student debt forgiveness plan, vaccine mandates, gun rights and more.
Bird introduced Trump at a campaign stop in Adel, saying, "he will secure our border, who supports that? He will fight the terrorists. He will fix the economy. He will stand up for agriculture. And he will uphold our Constitution and our way of life."
In a statement, Bird said she is "proud to announce my endorsement of President Trump because Iowans know he is the only candidate who can defeat Joe Biden and bring prosperity back to America."
"As I travel the 99 counties and meet with hardworking Iowans," she said, "it is clear President Trump is the true grassroots candidate who will represent all of us instead of special interests and political insiders.”
Bird is the first Republican to hold the seat since 1979 after defeating longtime Democratic Attorney General Tom Miller in 2022.
Her endorsement is a coup for Trump, who is looking to bolster his anti-abortion credentials after meeting blowback for saying a six-week abortion ban like the one in Iowa is “a terrible thing and a terrible mistake.”
Bird has been outspoken in her anti-abortion positions. When she took office in January, Bird paused the state’s longstanding practice of paying for emergency contraception, and in rare cases abortions, for victims of sexual assault.
She said the pause in payments is part of a larger review of the state's victim services programs, and her office said in July it is still reviewing whether to permanently halt the practice.
Her endorsement also comes after Trump again publicly targeted Iowa Gov. Kim Reynolds on his Truth Social platform Friday. The endorsement could be perceived as a slight against the state’s popular Republican leader.
“Very sad to see Gov Reynolds Numbers go down because of DeSanctimonious—I did so much for her,” Trump said in the social media post, noting a recent poll showing a decline in Reynolds’ job approval rating.
Trump has previously taken credit for elevating Reynolds to the governor's office in 2017 by naming former Gov. Terry Branstad as U.S. ambassador to China and later endorsing Reynolds during her first election race in 2018.
The only other statewide officeholder to endorse in this Iowa caucus cycle has been Treasurer Roby Smith, who is backing entrepreneur Vivek Ramaswamy.
Trump currently leads the Iowa caucus field by a wide margin, and his campaign is aiming to ensure his supporters show up on caucus night Jan. 15, gathering their contact information and rallying support for the former president who remains the faraway Republican frontrunner.
A Real Clear Politics rolling average of Iowa polls shows Trump with a 33-percentage-point lead over his next closest rival, Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis.
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.