Supporting Trump now becomes an option for previous Iowa Republican critics.
"Definitely goes for Trump," Ebersole stated. "I'm content with that decision given our available options. I can't see myself voting differently."
Ebersole was a supporter of Nikki Haley before the Iowa caucuses. Trump secured 59% of the vote in conservative Ringgold County; Ebersole was one of only 16 votes for the former South Carolina governor.
Once Trump secured the Republican nomination, Ebersole considered voting third party. However, her independent streak has its limits. Her family and farm are her priority, so she returned to Trump's support.
"We have to prioritize American interests," she said during an interview along the fence line of the Ebersole cattle farm. "I believe the policies implemented under the Harris-Biden administration have harmed us. They've negatively impacted our lands and the people of middle America the most."
Ebersole is part of our All Over the Map project, an initiative to track the 2024 campaign through the perspectives of voters in key battlegrounds who belong to significant voting blocs or reside in crucial state areas.
Iowa served as an early battleground in 2024, testing whether Trump's grip on the GOP had weakened due to his 2020 loss, actions on January 6, 2021, or legal issues he's faced since leaving the White House. Trump won the caucuses with 51%, marking the start of a march to the nomination that demonstrated his firm hold on the party, but also revealed vulnerabilities.
One such vulnerability involved Republican women like Ebersole — those who backed Haley or other GOP contenders due to objections to Trump's aggressive tone and instances where they think he strayed too far from conservative ideals that drew them to the Republican Party.
Iowa, however, is not considered a battleground in the general election this year. Ebersole's decision to support Trump despite reservations helps explain why.
In the 12 presidential elections dating back to 1976, Iowa evenly split its support for the presidential candidate. However, Republicans have recently dominated. Trump won in both 2016 and 2020. Both of Iowa's U.S. senators are Republican, as are six out of the seven statewide constitutional offices.
Voters who believe life was better under Trump fear Democrats have moved too far to the left
Ebersole shared a popular perspective: that the Democratic Party is increasingly liberal, coastal, and supportive of government regulations in climate and land policies.
"I understand there's room for improvement," Ebersole said. "But if you talk to many of us, we're already taking steps. There's a significant regenerative movement happening in the Americas due to individual choices, not government mandates. I believe the most crucial element in politics is the freedom to choose, not being compelled to choose."
Ebersole praised Trump's trade policies for her business.
"Importing beef was much more challenging," she said. "Now, the majority of meat on American grocery store shelves isn't American beef, and that bothers me." She sees Vice President Kamala Harris as more liberal — and more inclined to push progressive government policies — than President Joe Biden.
"She's prepared to force her agendas on us who live completely different lives," Ebersole said, linking Harris to California's policies. "Our California rancher friends are suffering significantly due to government policies, not environmental conditions or anything else."
Harris was California's attorney general from 2011-2017 and has been active in Washington since becoming a senator and then vice president.
The conversation differs in Iowa compared to swing states like Arizona and Pennsylvania. Some of our Republican non-Trump supporters in those states said they would give Harris a chance to make her case. However, in Iowa, our Republican group was highly critical of the vice president and more comfortable returning to the GOP despite challenges with Trump and his most vocal supporters.
"Most Trump supporters are just quiet people who want to live their lives in peace," Ebersole said. "We're willing to tell those people to tone it down a bit."
Visiting Iowa during this time, when it's considered a solid red state, may seem irrelevant in considering each candidate's strategy to win 270 electoral votes. However, we wanted to better understand why those who were so critical of Trump at the beginning of the campaign cycle are now comfortable supporting him. We wanted to gain firsthand insight into how our Iowa group — the first visited in August 2023 — views the race now that Harris has replaced Biden as the Democratic candidate and chosen a Midwest governor, Tim Walz of Minnesota, to be her running mate.
"He's still figuring out how to deal with her," Chris Mudd, a Cedar Falls businessman who ardently supports Trump, said of Donald Trump. "I think he spends too much time bashing and complaining. ... I think he'll get back on track."
Mudd owns Midwest Solar, and business is thriving in part thanks to Biden administration clean energy incentives. However, Mudd would gladly sacrifice that support for Trump's policies on regulation and immigration.
"If we were just peddling government incentives, our business wouldn't flourish according to Mudd, spoke in an interview at his residence. But that's not what we're peddling. We're selling the ability to assist individuals in saving money.
Mudd also sees Trump as more battle-tested globally.
"I ponder over the situations in the Middle East," Mudd stated. "Who would I prefer to negotiate peace: Kamala or Donald Trump? For me, it's straightforward."
Mudd thinks the media is lenient towards Harris, and he shares Trump's and his MAGA media allies' criticisms that Harris rarely answers questions from journalists. He also shares another sentiment from Trump, arguing that Harris has no chance of winning a fair election.
"Scandals would ensue," Mudd said when inquired about his thoughts if Harris becomes the White House occupant. "I don't believe she can win a fair fight... I am skeptical. Extremely skeptical... Many like me would share the same sentiment: If Kamala Harris gets 81 million votes, something is amiss."
Initially leaning towards Biden for a 2020 rematch, yet now for Trump
Betsy Sarcone views such conversations as pointless.
"I don't subscribe to the stolen election theory," Sarcone, a mother of three, living in the Des Moines suburbs, said. "If she wins, she wins. I will not hop on that bandwagon."
However, Sarcone's voting preference for Trump is a significant shift from our last conversation almost a year ago.
"It's time for the Republican Party to seek new leadership," Sarcone stated then. "If the 2024 election ends up as a 2020 rematch, I would vote for Biden."
But, Sarcone mentioned, grocery prices are still exorbitant, and her real estate business is slow.
"I would sum myself up as being resigned to voting for Donald Trump," Sarcone said. "I cannot vote for the status quo and was far better off during Donald Trump's presidency compared to today."
Sarcone has an unfavorable opinion of Harris.
"She's already been in office," she said. "She could have addressed the economy, the border issue."
Similar to others in our Iowa group, Sarcone places Harris to the left of Biden.
"I'd say extremely left," she said. "I'd say radical."
Sarcone sees Trump as thrown off balance by the switch to Harris.
"I believe he is handling it poorly," she said. "I wish he would concentrate on the issues and cease those irrelevant side conversations."
Sioux City lawyer Priscilla Forsyth also perceives Trump as struggling due to Harris being his opponent.
"She's manipulating him," Forsyth said. "I don't think he knows what to do."
Upon meeting Forsyth last August, she was impressed by another GOP candidate, Vivek Ramaswamy. Soon after, though, she would describe him as shallow and childish, and switched her allegiance to Nikki Haley.
Now, she sees Harris as "extremely radical" and has no reservations about voting for Trump.
"I see Kamala and Walz as being so far left it bothers me," Forsyth said in an interview.
"I am comfortable with Trump. We endured four years of Trump. We're familiar with what Trump is. We're aware of what to expect. We all managed."
"I'm not voting for him as my valentine. I'm not voting for him as my buddy. I think he did an okay job leading the country."
Ebersole expressed concerns about the liberal shift in the Democratic Party, particularly in their climate and land policies, which she believes infringes on individual choices. She also criticized Vice President Kamala Harris for being overly liberal and pushing progressive government policies, which she believes negatively impacts people in middle America.
In the context of politics and the upcoming elections, Ebersole's decision to support Trump despite reservations highlights a divide within the Republican Party. Despite having backed Nikki Haley earlier, Ebersole ultimately returned to Trump's support, recognizing the importance of prioritizing American interests and believing that his policies were better for her business.
