DeSantis, Trump’s endorsement fight takes a different turn

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The endorsement battle between Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis (R) and former President Donald Trump are reaching a boiling point.

Never Back Down, the main super PAC backing DeSantis for the 2024 Republican presidential nod, released a list of endorsements from more than 50 New Hampshire state lawmakers on Tuesday, including four who had previously announced their support for Trump’s 2024 campaign.

One of those lawmakers, state representative Juliet Harvey-Bolia, told NBC News that she “endorses both” Trump and DeSantis, explaining that “DeSantis has a lot of promise for the future, and Trump is great now.”

Another state legislator, Rep. Lisa Smart, has refused to throw her support behind DeSantis, insisting in a statement that she still supports Trump and accusing Never Back Down of playing “games” with her endorsement.

“I was very proud to join many of my colleagues in endorsing President Donald J. Trump last month and my support for him has not changed,” Smart said in a statement provided by the Trump campaign. “I am disappointed in the games played by Never Back Down and will NOT engage in any activity with Ron DeSantis.”

A spokesperson for Never Back Down pushed back against Smart’s denial, providing a copy of an endorsement pledge form he signed pledging his support to DeSantis.

The back-and-forth marks an unusual development in the ongoing proxy war between Trump and DeSantis, who is expected to launch a presidential campaign in the coming weeks. Over the weekend, DeSantis swept through Iowa – the crucial first-in-the-nation caucus state – and on Monday, his political operation moved into a new office in Tallahassee.

His aides have also begun inviting top donors and supporters to an event in Miami later this month, signaling that he is close to a presidential announcement.

Endorsements do not necessarily win primaries or elections, but they are useful tools for shaping a campaign’s narrative, providing candidates with a list of prominent supporters who can vouch for them.

Trump in particular has assembled a long list of congressional Republicans who support his campaign — a list that includes more than half of Florida’s GOP congressional delegation.

Meanwhile, DeSantis has been endorsed by four members of Congress: Reps. Thomas Massie (R-Ky.), Chip Roy (R-Texas), Bob Good (R-Va.) and Laurel Lee (R-Fla.), who served as DeSantis’ secretary of state before winning his seat in the House last year.

However, DeSantis has bolstered his list of supporters in recent days. Before his visit to Iowa on Saturday, he secured a list of 37 endorsements from Iowa state lawmakers, including state Senate President Amy Sinclair and House Majority Leader Matt Windschitl.

However, Axios reported on Monday that at least three of the people on his latest list of Iowa supporters had not been consulted by Trump’s team beforehand and had not yet decided on the race.

That was followed by Tuesday’s list of 51 endorsements from New Hampshire state lawmakers, all of whom signed forms giving their support for the governor, according to Never Back Down.

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He also secured two other major endorsements Tuesday, with Florida state Senate President Kathleen Passidomo and State House Speaker Paul Renner both throwing their support behind his presidential ambitions.

Those endorsements provided a shot of political momentum for DeSantis at a critical time in his political career.

Despite early polls showing him trailing behind Trump in the race for the GOP presidential nod, his allies remain optimistic about his chances in key early voting states like Iowa, pointing to his long list of endorsements and high favorability numbers.

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