EXCLUSIVE — Over 20 state- and county-level officials endorsed Gov. Ron DeSantis (R-FL) for president on Thursday following his performance at the Republican National Committee's primary debate on Wednesday night.
DeSantis boasts more than 300 state-level endorsements, with the campaign prioritizing key early caucus and primary states, as well as those emerging as pivotal battlegrounds in 2024. According to the campaign, over 11,000 Iowans have committed to caucus for the Florida governor at the state's first-in-the-nation Republican caucuses on Jan. 15.
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The 21 new endorsements hail from 10 states, including Arkansas, California, Colorado, Illinois, Kansas, Mississippi, Tennessee, Texas, Washington, and Georgia — where his biggest primary opponent, former President Donald Trump, is set to be booked in jail on Thursday.
Those who issued new endorsements for DeSantis are Arkansas state Reps. Zack Gramlich, Aaron Pilkington, and Ryan Rose; California Assemblymen Joe Patterson and Tom Lackey; Colorado state Sen. Larry Liston; Georgia state Rep. Jodi Lott; Illinois Senate Deputy Republican Leader Sue Rezin; Kansas state Reps. Susan Humphries, Sandy Pickert, and Kristey Williams; Mississippi state Sen. Chris Caughman and state Rep. Fred Shanks; Tennessee state Reps. Gino Bulso, Dale Carr, and Jason Zachary; Bexar County Commissioner Grant Moody in Texas; and Washington state Mayors Dick Muri and Jon Nehring, state Rep. Chris Corry, and state Sen. Phil Fortunato.
According to a statement from Bulso of Tennessee, "Hardworking Americans are getting hammered by Joe Biden's radical policies and rising prices. We need a president who understands how to rebuild the American dream and fight for the middle class. Ron DeSantis has the vision, experience, and energy to reverse our economy's decline and make life affordable for working families."
"Governor Ron DeSantis is the conservative warrior who can reverse our nation's decline and revive America. As a resident of Gavin Newsom's California, I know too well the ruinous costs of progressive lunacy. Only Ron DeSantis can restore sanity," California's Patterson added in his own statement.
"As a mom and Illinois State Senator, I am concerned about what our children are being taught in the classroom and what kind of country they will inherit. Ron DeSantis is the only candidate who can be trusted to fight for my family the same way he fights for his and I am proud to endorse him for president," Rezin said in announcing her support.
The new endorsements come as the DeSantis campaign homes in on building up foundations of state-level support across the country. His campaign said the Florida governor boasts the most announced state-level endorsements of any Republican primary candidate, but Trump's campaign disputed this. Trump leads the way with prominent federal endorsements, such as those from governors, congressmen, and senators.
The Florida Republican is headed back to the campaign trail in Iowa, not wasting any time after the RNC debate. He will be hitting South Carolina next week, headlining Rep. Jeff Duncan's (R-SC) "Faith and Freedom BBQ."
During the Wednesday night debate, DeSantis took several opportunities to remind viewers of his track record in Florida. He emphasized his administration's work to remove critical race theory and gender ideology in schools in the Sunshine State, claiming, "I stood for our kids."
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DeSantis also slammed Trump and fellow debater former Vice President Mike Pence for their actions during the COVID-19 national emergency, saying a national lockdown was a mistake. He further hit them for listening to former National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases Director Anthony Fauci during the pandemic.
DeSantis had a different approach to the pandemic, lifting restrictions relatively early in Florida, and he promised the audience he would "never let the deep state ... lock you down."