Ron DeSantis lags in early national polling, he’s under constant attack by Donald Trump and donors keep getting cold feet over a potential 2024 run by the Florida governor.

Yet on the ground, there is an encouraging metric for DeSantis after he toured the country the past several months: the size of his crowds.

And that could serve as evidence of rank-and-file enthusiasm for his candidacy as he prepares to soon launch a presidential campaign.

In Republican Party events DeSantis has headlined across the nation — including two this weekend in Iowa — he has sold out venues, broken local fundraising records or forced organizers to move into larger spaces.

High attendance is expected at a pair of events in Iowa this weekend for DeSantis. Already, a Saturday GOP state party fundraiser in Cedar Rapids has sold out — only the second time in five years that such a regional event has done so, Iowa GOP party chair Jeff Kaufmann said.