Ron DeSantis stops in Hartley

Valero Renewables' plant in Hartley played host to a VIP on Aug. 25.

Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis, who is running for the 2024 GOP presidential nomination, stopped by the facility as part of his 99-county tour leading up to January's Iowa Republican Party Caucus. DeSantis was given a tour of the facility and chatted with Valero employees, including company Chairman Joe Gorder, who made the trip north from San Antonio.

Hartley plant manager Kraig Kruger said the governor's visit was an "unbelievable" opportunity.

"It was great to have Governor DeSantis out here to learn about ethanol and to see what we're all about," he said. "We have a great team here and it was fun to show off our plant. We're pretty proud of our plant here."

DeSantis did not take questions from the media after his tour.

The Hartley facility produces ethanol, which is blended into the nation's fuel supply. Kruger said DeSantis was able to see how the product was made and learn about the impact it had on Midwest farmers.

"We talked about agriculture, the farming community, how much corn we grind from an ethanol standpoint, and how important that is to our local Midwest area," Kruger said. "On top of that, we discussed the importance of a company like Valero that gives back to the community."

Kruger said the candidate was vocal about being "pro liquid fuels" when meeting with Valero employees.

"He wants fuels that are all American made to have that as part of our make-up," Kruger said. "He understands that with electric vehicles, a lot of those components come from China. They are adversaries of ours, and that's not a great mix for fuel and transportation fuel in our country."

DeSantis is widely viewed as the main competitor to former President Donald Trump, who is once again seeking the Republican Party's nomination in 2024. A recent Des Moines Register poll found that 63 percent of poll respondents said Trump was their first or second choice, or that they were actively considering him. That footprint was only slightly larger than the 61 percent who said the same for DeSantis.

According to an email Monday from his campaign, DeSantis has visited 53 Iowa counties on his "Never Back Down" tour, which is being funded by the super PAC of the same name that's backing him. Representatives from the super PAC met with media representatives in Hartley on Friday and said they were planning a large ad campaign in Iowa this fall with the hopes of catching Trump and swaying caucus-goers to DeSantis.

In addition to the Valero visit last Friday, DeSantis stopped in Lyon, Osceola, Clay, Palo Alto, Emmet and Dickinson counties.