Republican Iowa Gov. Kim Reynolds endorsed Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis for president on Monday, calling the GOP White House hopeful “some of the efficient leaders” she’s ever seen.
Reynolds, 64, had beforehand steered that she would stay impartial by means of the Iowa Caucus, the primary GOP presidential nominating contest, however citing the “unprecedented occasions,” she stated Monday, “I couldn’t and can’t sit on the sidelines any longer.”
“Not solely do we have to ensure that we elect somebody who can win and beat Joe Biden, we’d like a president who has the talent and the resolve to reverse the insanity that we see each single day,” Reynolds advised DeSantis supporters at a rally in Des Moines.
“Someone who will combat for you and win for you. We want somebody who gained’t get distracted however will keep disciplined who places this nation first and never himself. That chief is Ron DeSantis,” the Iowa governor stated.
“Together, we’ll win Iowa,” DeSantis tweeted after receiving the Iowa governor’s 2024 backing. REUTERS
Reynolds, who was tapped to guide the Hawkeye State in 2017 after former President Trump moved to nominate her predecessor, Terry Branstad, to function US ambassador to China, praised the Florida governor’s dealing with of the COVID-19 pandemic, hurricanes and his household life throughout her endorsement speech.
“The strain to close down and ‘shelter in place’ to maintain our children out of college was unbelievable, and it got here from each nook, even from the White House,” Reynolds stated. “You know, most leaders, they buckled beneath that strain. They listened to [Dr. Anthony] Fauci as an alternative of the true science, however there was one man working for president who didn’t, Ron DeSantis.”
“When the liberals and media got here after him, he stood his floor. When the Trump administration let Fauci lead their response, Ron had the braveness to say not in Florida,” she added.
“Ron is concentrated, he’s principled, he’s outcomes pushed. And briefly, what I like most about Ron is he will get issues performed,” the Iowa governor advised the group.
“I’m so proud to face right here tonight and provides him my full help and endorsement,” she stated.
Reynolds known as DeSantis “targeted,” “principled,” and “outcomes pushed” throughout her endorsement speech.AP
DeSantis, who took the stage after Reynolds, thanked the Iowa governor for her endorsement and praised her for getting “concerned within the course of” regardless of potential blowback.
“Look, if you do this some folks don’t prefer it and a few folks say this or that, however I feel that she understands what I perceive – this nation has hit the skids. This nation is in a interval of decline,” DeSantis stated.
DeSantis added that Reynolds is “one of many best governors within the United States” and “one of many best governors the state has ever had.”
“Together, we’ll win Iowa,” the Florida governor added in a tweet.
Reynolds’ endorsement comes amid rising competitors within the polls from former South Carolina governor and US ambassador to the UN Nikki Haley.
Iowa’s 2024 GOP nominating contest will happen on Jan. 15.
Trump is main DeSantis within the Hawkeye State by greater than 30 factors, in line with a RealClearPolitics common of state polls, and DeSantis leads Haley by 5.5 level margin.
The Trump marketing campaign shrugged off stories of the approaching endorsement earlier than the governor’s rally, arguing that “If both of the early state governors determined to again DeSantis, it could solely shift the race a web 4 proportion factors in his favor.”
Trump railed towards Reynolds earlier this yr amid stories that she had been warming as much as her Florida counterpart.CRAIG LASSIG/EPA-EFE/Shutterstock
“Kim Reynolds apparently has begun her retirement tour early as she clearly doesn’t have any ambition for greater workplace,” the Trump marketing campaign stated. “President Trump is the undisputed chief of the Republican Party and that’s why he not solely leads each single Iowa ballot by vital margins but additionally beats Crooked Joe Biden within the normal.”
Trump railed towards Reynolds earlier this yr amid stories that she had been warming as much as her Florida counterpart.
The 77-year-old former president recalled how he had supposedly been good to Reynolds previously and appeared bothered by her unwillingness to endorse him to be the GOP nominee for the third straight cycle.
“I opened up the Governor place for Kim Reynolds, & when she fell behind, I ENDORSED her, did large Rallies, & she gained. Now, she desires to stay ‘NEUTRAL.’ I don’t invite her to occasions! DeSanctus down 45 factors!” Trump wrote on Truth Social in July, utilizing his most well-liked spelling of DeSantis’ title.
