DeSantis will not endorse Trump-backed Donalds for FL governor

Last week, Donald Trump endorsed Rep. Byron Donalds (R-FL), a Trump loyalist, for governor in Florida, even though Donalds had not yet formally announced his campaign.

Florida Governor Ron DeSantis was asked if he would endorse Donalds, and he declined, dropping a bit of a bombshell on the GOP.

Trump Endorses Donalds

Donald Trump jumped the gun a bit in the Florida gubernatorial race. Donalds had not yet announced a run, but Trump beat him to the punch.

In endorsing Donalds for the post, Trump stated, “I know Byron well, have seen him tested at the highest most difficult levels, and he is a TOTAL WINNER!

“As Governor, Byron would have a BIG Voice and would work closely with me to advance our America First Agenda.”

If Donalds has to go on the campaign trail for governor, we have to question how much it will hurt Trump in Congress with such a razor-thin margin.

Donalds Formally Declares

Nearly a week after Trump endorsed Donalds for the position, the Florida congressman formally came out to announce his run.

He stated, “I’m here to announce my candidacy to be the next governor of the great state of Florida.”

Ron DeSantis was asked about endorsing Donalds, and he sidestepped the question, stating, “We’ve achieved victories in Florida. We need to start achieving those victories up there [in DC].

“You got a guy like Byron. He just hasn’t been a part of any of the victories that we’ve had here over the left over these last years. He’s just not been a part of it. He’s been in other states campaigning doing that, and that’s fine, but OK, well, then deliver results up there.”

DeSantis Endorses…

So, would Ron DeSantis like to see as the next governor of Florida? How about his wife, Casey? To that point, DeSantis stated, “You’re talking about somebody like her. I won by the biggest margin that any Republican’s won a governor’s race here in Florida. She would do better than me.”

DeSantis added, "She’s somebody that has the intestinal fortitude and the dedication to conservative principles that, you know, anything that we’ve accomplished she’d be able to take to the next level.”

He further commented on Donalds leaving Congress to campaign, stating, "Donald Trump just got into office. I want these congressmen focused on enacting his agenda. They haven’t done very much yet. They’re not putting his executive orders into place. We’ll see what they do on the spending, but we have such a narrow majority that to be trying to campaign other places and missing these votes I think is not something that’s advisable at all."

I am a big DeSantis supporter, and I love the idea of his wife as the next governor, as I know she is extremely popular in the state, not to mention getting a firsthand view of how to run the state, as well as having Ron to lean on for decisions if she does win. This also puts a major wrench in the GOP in terms of who the favorite among female candidates would be to become the first woman president. If Casey is governor, her profile is raised considerably, and she could become a real threat in 2032 or 2036 to run for president.