Ron DeSantis pitches nationwide school choice, mirroring Iowa and Florida laws

MT. PLEASANT, Iowa — Iowa Gov. Kim Reynolds tells crowds: If you like what's happening in Iowa, you're going to love a Ron DeSantis presidency.

But what would a DeSantis administration mean for Iowans? Would the whole country adopt the conservative policies passed in Florida and Iowa? And what does the Florida governor have planned for Iowa's rural, agricultural economy?

The Des Moines Register caught up with DeSantis for an exclusive interview at the Mt. Pleasant VFW on Saturday, where he served drinks to a crowd of veterans watching the Army-Navy football game, part of a three-day tour just weeks before the Iowa caucus. Here's what we learned:

DeSantis pitches federal 'school choice,' but no regulation on LGBTQ topics

Lawmakers in both Iowa and Florida have focused intensely on education in recent years, with the rise of a "parents' rights" movement and conservatives' concerns over inappropriate materials in classrooms.

Reynolds and DeSantis both signed major bills this year to create and expand private school scholarship programs. If elected president, DeSantis said he plans to make private school vouchers available nationwide using corporate tax credits.

"That would be going over the heads of a lot of the school unions in places like Chicago, where there's a lot of political resistance," he said.

DeSantis said Florida was able to send 100,000 students to private school for $1 billion a year. He credits the program for Florida's increased test scores and rankings.

U.S. News & World Report ranked Florida as the country's top state for education, including higher education, in 2023. The publication ranked Florida 14th for pre-K through 12th grade education.

Iowa and Florida both have passed laws that restrict certain topics in the classroom. In Iowa, teachers cannot instruct about gender identity or sexual orientation before seventh grade, and schools cannot have books that include descriptions or depictions of a sex act.

DeSantis said he wouldn't ask the U.S. Department of Education to impose similar mandates at the federal level. Instead, he suggested the department shouldn't even exist.

"I would get federal government totally off the backs of states and let states do that appropriately," he said.

But DeSantis suggested he might tie grant money to ideological metrics.

"You could condition a grant on saying, 'Well, you need to make sure that girls have the ability to compete in sports,' or things like that," he said, referring to laws that prohibit the participation of transgender girls in women's sports.

DeSantis acknowledges human contributions to climate change, suggests natural gas as the solution

When DeSantis rolled out an energy plan in September, he dismissed concerns about climate change, calling for American energy dominance to take priority over "climate change ideology."

He promised to repeal President Joe Biden's incentives for Americans to buy electric vehicles and a Biden-era rule to protect thousands of small waterways. DeSantis said he also would withdraw from the Paris Climate Accords, the Global Methane Pledge and all "net zero" commitments.

DeSantis' own stance has changed: During the first GOP presidential debate, he did not raise his hand when candidates were asked if human activities are warming the planet. But in the Dec. 9 interview with the Register, DeSantis said he does believe human activities are a factor in the changing climate.

"I think there's a variety of factors, including that," he said.

DeSantis said the country should use and export more natural gas, a fossil fuel that has lower carbon dioxide emissions than coal.

Climate scientists warn that natural gas emissions still are a major contributor to climate change, especially as the use of natural gas increases.

"There's no way you can power this country without using fossil fuels, and that will be true for the rest of our lives," DeSantis said.

What does that mean for Iowa biofuels? Does DeSantis support the renewable fuel standard?

While serving in Congress, DeSantis co-sponsored a bill that would eliminate the renewable fuel standard, an Environmental Protection Agency program to mix a certain amount of renewable fuels — like ethanol — into gasoline and diesel.

In a Friday episode of Iowa Press, DeSantis said he will "enforce" the standard.

DeSantis told the Register on Saturday he would support the year-round sale of E15.

"We'll also provide waivers to do even higher blends," he said. "If there's a demand for it, they should be able to provide that. ... I think that choice in fuels is good."

The Biden administration also has promised to allow year-round E15 sales, beginning in 2024.

Katie Akin is a politics reporter for the Register. Reach her at kakin@registermedia.com. Follow her on Twitter at @katie_akin.

This article originally appeared on Des Moines Register: In Iowa, DeSantis talks school choice, LGBTQ material, climate change