Trump, DeSantis vie for support in Republican Congress

Ron DeSantis Is Not Running For President In 2024 Yet, But Former President donald trump We aim to strengthen our support for florida In the governor’s backyard, he has already secured support from about a third of Republicans in the state’s congressional delegation.

Republicans occupy 20 of Florida’s 28 congressional districts, seven of which have expressed support for Trump. Among them is Rep. Byron Donald, who introduced DeSantis at last year’s reelection party. Earlier this month, Donalds called Trump “the only leader in the history of this country who can seize the moment and deliver what it needs.”

Rep. John Rutherford endorsed Trump on Tuesday shortly after leaving a meeting with DeSantis in Washington. Other lawmakers going with Trump are Greg Steube, Matt Gates, Anna Paulina Luna, Brian Mast and Cory Mills.

Overall, Trump has the support of more than 40 House Republicans nationwide. His team, led by former White House political bureau chief Brian Jack, reached out to some of these lawmakers, and others to him.

Endorsements rarely have a dramatic impact on who voters end up supporting. Especially in the early days of the presidential primary. But they show which candidates have support within the party. This is important as Mr. Trump seeks to assert himself as the undisputed leader of the United States. Republican Party Seeking nominations for 2024.

Trump’s endorsement is notable because his criminal indictment in New York this month suggests little has done to undermine his support among elected Republicans. If anything, the indictment may have elevated his standing within the party.

“I think a lot of people were happy to show their support after the indictment,” Trump spokesman Stephen Zhang said.

DeSantis’ backers say the governor hasn’t formally launched the effort, making it harder to get official support. He expanded his trip outside of Florida and made his first appearance in South Carolina on Wednesday.

DeSantis has so far secured three congressional endorsements, one of which is first-term Rep. Laurel Lee, from Florida, who has served as DeSantis’ secretary of state for more than three years. Rep. Chip Roy of Texas was the first congressman to sign.

manager Thomas MasseyEndorsed DeSantis.

“Ron DeSantis is not asking anyone for endorsements,” Massey, Kentucky, said in an interview Wednesday.

The real question, according to Massey, is why Trump has yet to gain support given that the former president is essentially an incumbent.

“I’m not worried about Donald Trump getting a lot of support,” Massey said. Why doesn’t he have an entire Republican Congress?”

DeSantis’ slow start in building national coalitions highlights his long-standing disdain for investing in relationships with other Republican leaders. Fellow Republican governors and party officials regularly complain about his tendency to ignore public gatherings, fundraisers and conference calls.

DeSantis, who served nearly three terms in the House, called Congress “grotesque” in a recent book.

As a matter of practice, DeSantis does not normally attend Republican Governors Association meetings. During the pandemic, he wasn’t regularly on the nightly conference calls of Republican governors, said Gov. Chris Sununu, RN.H.

“For the most part all Republican governors are pretty tight-lipped. We’re buddies,” Sununu said in a recent interview. He doesn’t come to our events.When he comes to the governor’s event, he shows up, gives a speech and leaves.That’s him and his style.At first everyone was taken aback, but it’s just him.”

DeSantis’ reluctance to engage with his peers stands in stark contrast to past nationally successful candidates.

Former President George W. Bush’s long list of Christmas cards is solidified with political lore. Former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton regularly sends handwritten notes commemorating birthdays and graduations to local activists in New Hampshire and Iowa. Before and after the 2016 election, Trump was mostly on the phone with party officials, donors, or business leaders.

Massey, who served as DeSantis’ congressman for six years, said he hosted a private reception Monday night “to dispel the notion that he’s a bad person.”

Massie said DeSantis spoke in less than 10 minutes of the two-hour event. For the rest of the day, DeSantis spoke one-on-one with other members of Congress, he said.

“I was amazed at how much he understood people’s neighborhoods,” Massey said. “He is a student of politics.”

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Associated Press reporters Jill Colvin and Steve Peoples of New York and Will Weissart of Washington contributed to this report.

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Meg Kinnard can be reached at http://twitter.com/MegKinnardAP.