Georgia Lodewyk—Co-Editor 

Four Republican candidates—Ron DeSantis, Ryan Binkley, Vivek Ramaswamy, and Nikki Haley— traded in combative quips to discuss political and personal values, reining in one single, unifying message for the Sioux Center audience: faith and family are central.  

The candidates took the stage at Dordt University’s BJ Haan auditorium on Saturday, Dec. 9, 2023, joined by a crowd of 400 community members and college students. Three of the most prominent politicians vying for the Republican presidential nomination sang a much different tune than the one sung at their nationally televised, heated debate just four days earlier in Alabama. 

“When people ask me, ‘what do you recommend in terms of leadership? What should people think about?” said Florida governor Ron DeSantis, the first to set the tone on Saturday morning. “What I tell people: first and foremost, put on the armor of God.” 

The positive mood of the event was intentional by its host, Congressman Randy Feenstra, a Hull, Iowa native and former business professor at Dordt University. Feenstra and his wife, Lynette, organized “Faith and Family with the Feenstras” to feel more like an intimate conversation rather than a hefty and rehearsed campaign spectacle. It resulted in an event that, for many attendees, humanized those constantly seen arguing and fighting on the debate stage. 

‘Real’ fit many aspects of the event, from Nikki Haley gushing over her daughter, Rena, who married an elementary school teacher and works as a pediatric nurse; or Ron DeSantis recalling playing in the snow with his three young children while visiting Sioux City; or Vivek Ramaswamy competing in a push-up contest outside the BJ Haan on the chilly December morning with freshman football player Noah Strickfaden. 

With the Iowa caucus less than six weeks away on Jan. 15, GOP candidates are looking for ways to win over Republican voters in the state, especially if they want to have any lead over current front-runner and former president Donald Trump in the nation’s first caucus. 

At Saturday’s event, De Santis and his wife, Casey, were the first to take the stage with the Feenstras. The governor explained how he prioritizes time with family amid a busy campaign schedule. Casey DeSantis, a former news anchor and Golf Channel host, shared how their Catholic faith strengthened her during her breast cancer diagnosis in 2021. 

One question, posed by Dordt senior Matt Haken, asked DeSantis how he would promote bipartisanship as president. 

DeSantis replied, “if you disagree with me 80 percent of the time, that’s fine. We can fight on those 80 percent. But if you agree with me on the 20 percent I’m willing to put aside the previous disagreements and work with you on the other 20 percent. I think that’s the way you’re able to get more stuff done.” 

DeSantis relied on his track record as governor to portray himself as a man of action, citing some of his conservative wins in the state of Florida, including universal school choice, lessening COVID-19 pandemic restrictions, and championing religious freedom rights. 

“He has never wavered, and he is a rock. That is who you want fighting for you at this moment,” said his wife, Casey. 

DeSantis needs a sure win against Haley. While DeSantis was pegged as one of Trump’s toughest competitors when he first announced his presidential bid in May, his campaign took some hits. Since August, Haley has seen more upswings in her campaign than DeSantis.  

After speaking with the Feenstras, DeSantis cautiously took a stand against Trump, a change from past debates where Republican Chris Christie accused DeSantis of being “afraid to answer” questions about the former president. He said making Trump the nominee fits the Democrat party’s agenda, creating a “negative partisanship” that will weaken the Republican party. 

Several students think DeSantis is a strong choice for the GOP nomination. 

“He’s a guy who’s been implementing a lot of policies in Florida that I think are positive, and I know he gets his work done,” said sophomore Sam Zylstra, who hopes to see a Republican name on the presidential ballot that isn’t Donald Trump. 

The Feenstras also invited Texas pastor Ryan Binkley, a political candidate who has not qualified for any of the televised debates. His message, however, found support from several in the conservative audience, speaking on his plans to reform healthcare, relieve the national debt, and instigate a “spiritual revival.”  

As the pastor of Create Church in Texas, Binkley’s pastoral experience is much greater than his political experience, something businessman Vivek Ramaswamy mentioned indirectly later. 

“I’m not running for pastor,” Ramaswamy said. “I wouldn’t be qualified to be a pastor, but I am running to be commander in chief, to be president. And that president swears an oath to the Constitution and needs to be grounded in the same values that the Constitution was written to protect.” 

Ramaswamy’s conversation on stage began with an appearance from his three-year-old son, Karthik, who sat beside him, staring wide-eyed both at his father and the audience. 

Ramaswamy spoke positively of his Hindu faith and upbringing. He mentioned a time in his youth when he attended Christian school and noticed their shared value systems. 

“My faith teaches me there’s one true God,” Ramaswamy said. “They put each of us here for a purpose. That we have a duty to realize that purpose.” 

As the youngest candidate at 38 with little political experience, the biotech CEO built his platform against the idea of “wokeism.” He sparked conversation after the first debate in August after calling climate change “a hoax,” and gained further controversial attention during the debates for attacking fellow candidates, including Nikki Haley, of whom he held up a paper reading: “Nikki Haley = Corrupt” in capital letters. 

He spoke of decreasing the United States’s nearly $34 trillion in national debt by selling oil and natural gas. He also plans to spend significantly less on foreign aid, saying, “your moral duty starts closest to home. That’s my worldview.” 

In Iowa, Ramaswamy connected with a younger audience, staying late in the lobby to visit with lingering attendees and college students. He kept it relational during his on-stage conversation as well. 

“I think it has been a long time since we have had a president who certainly I could look my two sons in the eye, and probably most Christian parents could look their kids in the eye and tell them, in good conscience that I want you to grow up and be like him,” he said. “That is the standard that I want you to hold me to, because half of the job of the next president is reviving our national character.” 

For some college students, Ramaswamy’s attitude left a positive impression. 

“You can tell he is trying to reach the younger voters and I think its working. He brings an energy that you want to get behind,” freshman Noah Strickfaden said. 

Nikki Haley also came on stage at the event with one of her children—her daughter, Rena Haley Jackson, a 2021 Clemson graduate. 

On the topic of faith, Haley recalled the tragic 2015 shooting at Emanuel African Methodist Episcopal Church in Charleston and her decision to remove the Confederate flag from the statehouse following the event. 

“It was a tough process. But at the end of it, we didn’t have violence. We had vigils. We didn’t have protests. We had hugs. And we showed the entire world what strength and grace looks like,” Haley said.  

Before her presidential campaign, Haley served as the governor of South Carolina and ambassador to the United Nations. Various news sources, including Politico, credited Haley’s debate performances for her rise in popularity over DeSantis, as polls now show her in second place behind Trump. Large endorsements have also helped her gain momentum, though it has brought accusations of Haley being “too tight with the banks and the billionaires.” 

Haley touched on her foreign policy experience. She proclaimed that securing the southern border would be “priority number one” and stressed the importance of protecting national security by preventing war for America and protecting its allies, a different approach than Ramaswamy’s. 

“We need to make sure that America’s never so arrogant to think that we don’t need friends,” Haley said. 

Contrary to previous debates, where all candidates, except for former New Jersey governor Chris Christie, seemed to dance around the topic of former president Trump (Christie even referring to Trump as “Voldemort, he who shall not be named”), Haley took a clear stand against Trump’s leadership on Dec. 9 

“There’s chaos all around us. But what I know is you don’t defeat Democrat chaos with Republican chaos. And that’s what Donald Trump gives us,” she said. “Rightly or wrongly, chaos follows him. You know I’m right.” 

Haley’s message and presence resonated with several Dordt students, who see her as a viable option against Trump. 

“I believe that the president should be a person who not only will advance good policy but will also set a tone of exemplary character for our nation, and I think Haley will do both of those things well,” said senior Matt Haken, who also plans to caucus for Haley. 

The most notable absence from the event was former president Donald Trump, who is staying in New York instead of traveling to the Midwest. Feenstra extended an invitation to Trump, but he declined.  

Regardless of Trump’s absence, Feenstra was happy with the number of Dordt students at the event.  

“The mission of Dordt, my mission, and what we believe in as redemptive Christians, is that we have to redeem every square inch. And what I mean by that is we have to be engaged in government,” Feenstra said.