Trump has commanding support with Republican lawmakers as DeSantis enters GOP race
Gov. Ron DeSantis is running in the 2024 Republican primaries and has far fewer backings than Donald Trump.
Now that Florida’s governor is officially in the running for the Republican nomination for president, more legislators and key players could support DeSantis.
Just a month before launching his long-awaited bid for the White House, DeSantis made a trip to Washington, D.C. for meetings on Capitol Hill, where he hoped to gather more support before filing paperwork to run for president.
It is unclear whether the trip last month was fruitful.
So far, DeSantis has received just five endorsements from lawmakers in the House — where he once served before becoming governor of Florida in 2018.
Seven of the 20 House lawmakers in Florida’s Republican delegation already support Trump in his bid for a second, non-consecutive term. Only one has endorsed DeSantis so far.
There are 56 lawmakers in Congress who support Donald Trump, and only five so far who support Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis
DeSantis has officially entered the 2024 Republican primary despite Trump’s warnings and claims it would be “disloyal.” Pictured: DeSantis and Trump shake hands at a rally in Florida on Oct. 31, 2018 with Florida First Lady Casey DeSantis standing by
Florida had a previous law preventing state lawmakers from running for another office without resigning from their current position.
The Republican supermajority in the Florida legislature last month passed a bill that overturned precedent and cleared the way for DeSantis to make his presidential bid without having to step down as Florida governor.
Before announcing his candidacy Wednesday night, DeSantis received public support from Representatives Chip Roy of Texas; Thomas Massie of Kentucky; Laurel Lee from Florida; Bob Good from Virginia; and, most recently on Tuesday, Rich McCormick from Georgia.
Gaining support from legislators is important in primaries because the leanings of individuals elected in their respective jurisdictions can greatly influence how their voters cast their ballots next year.
In the Senate, former President Trump has nine Republicans backing his 2024 bid, while DeSantis has yet to earn support in the upper chamber of Congress.
South Carolina Senator Lindsey Graham was the first to support Trump’s candidacy.
Other senators who followed Graham’s endorsement of Trump include Oklahoma Senator Markwayne Mullin; Eric Schmitt of Missouri; Tommy Tuberville of Alabama; JD Vance from Ohio; Marsha Blackburn and Bill Hagerty both from Tennessee; Ted Budd from North Carolina; and Cindy Hyde-Smith of Mississippi.
In the House, Trump has amassed 47 endorsements since he launched his bid for the presidency in mid-November.
Trump’s endorsement of DeSantis in the 2018 Florida gubernatorial primary helped him clinch a victory
Rep. Gooden of Texas is one of the most recent lawmakers to endorse Trump — and did so just after a meeting with DeSantis last month in Washington, DC.
Trump received Gooden and his family after his adoption at Mar-a-Lago.
Gooden told DailyMail.com earlier this month about his decision to support Trump following his meeting with Florida’s governor that while “DeSantis’ day may come, it’s not today.”
The Texas legislator brought his wife Alexa and their two children Liam, five, and Milla, three, to meet with Trump at his estate in Palm Beach, Florida, on May 9.
A person familiar with Gooden’s plans says the congressman plans to serve as a strong voice in DC to push for Trump’s re-election.
Besides Trump and DeSantis, there are a few other more distant Republicans vying for the presidential nomination next year.
Former South Carolina Governor Nikki Haley and current South Carolina Senator Tim Scott are both running in the 2024 Republican presidential primary. Former Arkansas Governor Asa Hutchinson is also running.
Conservative media personality Larry Elder and biotech millionaire Vivek Ramaswamy are even further on the edge of the race.
Haley, who was Trump’s ambassador to the United Nations, has one backer: Representative Ralph Norman from her home state of South Carolina.
More Republican legislators, politicians and personalities are expected to take the line in the coming weeks and months and the primary race will be in full swing.
However, most candidates outside of Trump and DeSantis are struggling to earn double-digit support in national and regional polls.
Representative Lance Gooden brought his wife and two children to a meeting with Donald Trump on Monday at Mar-a-Lago after the Texan Republican endorsed the former president following a meeting with Ron DeSantis last month. Pictured LR: Liam Gooden, 5; Rep. Lance Gooden; Trump, Milla Gooden, 3; Alexa Goodness
Beyond lawmakers, messages of support from other politicians and key players could affect the 2024 primary outcome.
Billionaire Republican donor Peter Thiel said he would support DeSantis if he makes it to the general election in 2024, but he hasn’t weighed in on the primaries yet, if at all.
Thiel warned DeSantis not to lean too much into fighting leftist “woke-ism,” despite it being a cornerstone of DeSantis’ pre-announcement strategy.
The Florida governor has been on an international book tour in recent months leading up to his announcement, where he shared his blueprint for America by promoting initiatives in his state.
People close to Thiel told Reuters last month that he had no intention of wading into the waters of the 2024 primary.