Iowa Gov. Kim Reynolds will endorse Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis in his bid to be the Republican Party’s 2024 presidential nominee.
The Iowa governor will announce her endorsement on Monday during a rally in Des Moines, a source familiar confirmed to the Washington Examiner.
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DeSantis is expected to use Reynolds’ endorsement to jump-start his campaign that has, for the most part, failed to chip away at former President Donald Trump’s hold on the party electorate. Reynolds has long been supportive of his campaign and has, at times, sparred with Trump.
DeSantis told reporters in late October that her full support could “have a really significant impact,” according to the Des Moines Register.
“I think what she’s been able to do in Iowa has really been a model for how people should govern,” he said. “Clearly, I think she could have a really significant impact. And I think any candidate running would be a fool not to want to have the support of Reynolds.”
Her endorsement will come days ahead of the third GOP presidential debate, which is set to take place in Miami, Florida, on Wednesday night.
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The Trump campaign, which has previously taken shots at the Iowa governor, said in a statement, “Her endorsement will not make any difference in this race. In a poll conducted about the impact of a Reynolds endorsement, 72% of respondents replied that it would not affect how they vote,” the Trump campaign said in a statement. “President Trump is the undisputed leader of the Republican Party and that’s why he not only leads every single Iowa poll by significant margins but also beats Crooked Joe Biden in the general.”
Reynolds had said previously she wouldn’t endorse a candidate but indicated she may change her mind in recent months, which the Trump campaign noted in its statement. Most Iowa governors recently have not endorsed candidates ahead of the state’s caucuses. She has appeared on the campaign trail in Iowa with every presidential candidate.
