Breaking from the tradition of the first-in-the-nation caucuses, Iowa Gov. Kim Reynolds on Monday endorsed Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis for president, sending a clear message to Republicans looking for an alternative to former President Donald Trump that the time to act has arrived.
As people waved “Reynolds for DeSantis” signs, the Iowa governor said the country needs “someone who calls out our moral decline for what it is, who looks to the future and not the past, someone who, most importantly, can win.”
“That person is Ron DeSantis. And that’s why I am so proud to stand here tonight and give him my full support and endorsement for president of the United States of America,” Reynolds said.
In putting her thumb on the scale for DeSantis, Reynolds is lining up behind a like-minded executive who has also successfully enacted a strikingly conservative agenda. Her endorsement will test the power of her political brand in her home state. Across the country, Republican leaders have experienced limited success convincing conservative voters to move on from Trump.
Reynolds wasted little time going after Trump, dinging his response to Covid-19 and saying DeSantis “won’t get distracted” and “will stay disciplined,” a clear rebuke of the former president, who has publicly assailed her for months.
“We need someone who will fight for you, who puts this country first and not himself,” she said.
DeSantis hugged Reynolds as he took the stage and the two stood together as the crowd cheered. DeSantis then delivered familiar remarks to anyone who has heard him in all corners of Iowa.
“I don’t care what they say about me. I will take the arrows. I will take all the criticism. I’ll take the smears,” DeSantis said. “I’ll take the hits, because, ultimately, it’s not about me. It’s about you, and I will fight for…
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