A onetime campaign adviser for former President Donald Trump endorsed Gov. Ron DeSantis (R-FL) for president on Tuesday.
The Florida governor has yet to declare a run for the Oval Office in 2024, but that has not stopped him from scoring multiple endorsements, most recently from Trump's former adviser, Steve Cortes, who said DeSantis is the "best possible option to win the presidency in 2024."
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"I have worked as a dedicated spokesman and advocate for Donald Trump for much of the last seven years, so I do not arrive at that conclusion flippantly," Cortes wrote in a Newsweek op-ed. "But our America First movement has always been bigger and more important than any one individual, and heading into this crucial election, our activism and our votes must be guided by a clear-eyed assessment of recent failures and potential future successes."
Cortes highlighted three reasons he supported DeSantis over Trump, which included avoiding the possibility of a rematch between Trump and President Joe Biden, Republicans' need to win in 2024, and prioritization of policy results above all else.
When addressing the last topic of successful policy results, Cortes pointed to DeSantis's success in Florida and the passage of key items on his legislative agenda, including those concerning LGBT issues, race, and education.
"Here, the record of Governor DeSantis truly shines and elevates him as a proven executive with laser-like focus on goals, process, and personnel," Cortes wrote. "Governor DeSantis proves that a steady, unified, drama-free team achieves far better results than loud social media grandstanding. Consequently, during DeSantis' tenure in Florida, the state has transformed into a beacon of economic opportunity, cultural sanity, and science-based policy agendas."
Cortes's endorsement coincided with an endorsement from Rep. Bob Good (R-VA), who also praised DeSantis in a statement Tuesday, calling him an example of "courageous conservative leadership." Good's endorsement is DeSantis's fourth on Capitol Hill, compared to Trump's 60 endorsements.
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DeSantis also made the next step toward a presidential announcement on Tuesday by cutting ties with his Florida Political Action Committee. The committee's website now states its core mission is “advancing the Freedom Agenda and keeping Florida free.”
DeSantis previously said he would not announce his decision on 2024 until after the state's legislative session, which concluded last week, ended.