Trump racks up Florida endorsements in blow to DeSantis

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April 19 (Reuters) – Donald Trump continued to pick up endorsements in Florida for his presidential campaign on Wednesday, outpacing state Governor Ron DeSantis in his home state.

Vern Buchanan, co-chair of the state’s congressional delegation became the eighth Florida lawmaker to come out in support of the former president, announcing his endorsement Wednesday, hours after a personal call from Trump.

“If we want to get our economy back on track, Donald Trump is the only person to do it,” Buchanan said.

Trump launched a bid for the 2024 Republican nomination in November, and polls show him leading the field of declared and undeclared candidates. DeSantis is expected to launch a run and is in second place in the polls.

Trump’s string of endorsements, including four in Florida and five in two other states this week, came as DeSantis faced a barrage of social media insults and attack ads. from Trump’s camp.

“When your calling card is Florida and people in your own backyard defect is never a good sign,” said Ford O’Connell, a Republican consultant who is a Trump campaign surrogate in 2020. “They have the DeSantis campaign in a vulnerable position.”

DeSantis’ team has asked members of Florida’s congressional delegation to hold off on announcing any endorsements, according to a person familiar with the effort. Only one, Laurel Lee, stuck with DeSantis, who announced her endorsement Tuesday.

Trump personally reached out to lawmakers, inviting them to a dinner at his Mar-a-Lago resort on Thursday night.

A DeSantis aide declined to comment.

A source familiar with DeSantis’ thinking said the wave of endorsements has not persuaded the governor to speed up his timetable for a presidential announcement. DeSantis is expected to clarify his intentions after the Florida legislature ends its session in early May, followed by a more formal campaign launch in June.

DeSantis, the source said, is currently limited by law in what he can do as a non-candidate and cannot explicitly seek endorsements. “We haven’t started yet,” said the man.

Reporting by Nathan Layne in Wilton, Connecticut and Jim Oliphant in Washington; Editing by Sonali Paul

Our Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

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