A slate of 18 Michigan legislators endorsed Gov. Ron DeSantis (R-FL) for president, according to a super PAC aligned with the governor.
The round of support follows a batch of endorsements from 14 conservative leaders in Michigan earlier this month, the Never Back Down PAC said. DeSantis has not yet declared a presidential run but is thought to be eyeing a mid-May launch date to announce his candidacy.
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"Families across Michigan are feeling the pain of Democrat leadership — or lack thereof, really — more and more every day,” state Rep. Bryan Posthumus, who backed him previously, said in a statement. “Gov. DeSantis embodies the change that our state and our country desperately need. He has demonstrated what is possible when bold leaders stand strong."
The 18 to endorse DeSantis are state Reps. Greg Alexander, Brian BeGole, Timmy Beson, Matt Bierlein, William Bruck, Phil Green, Jaime Greene, Mike Harris, Tom Kunse, Luke Meerman, Mike Mueller, Jerry Neyer, Pat Outman, Brad Paquette, John Roth, Alicia St. Germaine, Donni Steele, and Curt VanderWall.
DeSantis visited the Great Lakes State and delivered a keynote address at a Midland County Republican Party breakfast in early April.
His trip came as part of his swing through early primary states that included stops in Iowa and New Hampshire. He is currently on an overseas trip billed as an "international trade mission" on behalf of Enterprise Florida.
At the moment, DeSantis has garnered three endorsements from sitting members of Congress: Reps. Laurel Lee (R-FL), Thomas Massie (R-KY), and Chip Roy (R-TX). He has also picked up support from local officials in a variety of states.
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“Conservatives in Michigan and across the country are ready for a winner. As this impressive list of endorsements shows, the Republican Party needs a leader who will never back down to the Woke Left, stand up for hard-working Americans, and beat Joe Biden,” Erin Perrine, communications director for Never Back Down, said in a statement.
Never Back Down was launched earlier this year to lay the groundwork for a DeSantis run.