Watch as Ron DeSantis campaigns in Iowa on Friday 12 January.
The Florida governor went up against fellow Republican presidential candidate Nikki Haley in the final debate ahead of the caucus on Wednesday evening.
Ms Haley repeatedly called Mr DeSantis a liar while both candidates criticised the former president and frontrunner Donald Trump.
In response, the once-promising governor who had hoped his hard-right policies on everything from abortion to restricting how gender and sexuality are taught in schools would bolster him in the heavily church-going Iowa, elected to regularly attack Ms Haley.
“As Republicans, you need somebody that is going to be in there and fight for you and Nikki Haley, anytime the going gets tough, anytime people come down, she caves,” Mr DeSantis said.
Mr DeSantis, who has the endorsement of Iowa’s governor Kim Reynolds and who has visited all 99 counties in the state, also criticised Ms Haley’s numerous gaffes.
