Iowa’s Governor Bet on DeSantis. Voters Aren’t Thrilled.

Gov. Kim Reynolds of Iowa broke with tradition and with former President Donald J. Trump in November when she endorsed Ron DeSantis for president in her state’s first-in-the-nation caucuses, a move that surprised political observers and Iowa voters alike.

And it has scarcely seemed to moved the needle: Mr. Trump remains the runaway favorite of prospective caucusgoers in the polls. The question now is whether Ms. Reynolds, who was popular with Republicans in the state before siding with Mr. DeSantis, will pay a price with her own voters when the presidential primary circus moves on from Iowa next week.

Stumping for Mr. DeSantis across the state, she has upset Republican county officials and those who count themselves among the former president’s fiercest supporters.

“I think the governor will spend a lot of time rebuilding her relationships with a lot of people in the state this next legislative session,” said Gary Leffler, a Trump supporter who is also a friend of Ms. Reynolds and a former volunteer for her campaigns for governor.

He said he still trusted and respected Ms. Reynolds, but for many Trump supporters, “it’s a major ding in the relationship with her.”

Interviews with nearly 20 Iowa voters and local Republican officials indicated while she is still well-liked, if not beloved, in the state, there was clear unhappiness with her DeSantis endorsement. Many of those same voters as well as political strategists suggested that it was unlikely to have a lasting negative effect because her conservative policies are so popular. Still, the wild card is Mr. Trump, who branded her as disloyal after her announcement in November and has backed challenges to Republican elected officials who cross him. He has insulted her at rallies