Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis won’t ask for former President Donald Trump’s endorsement in his re-election race, Politico reports.
DeSantis has not asked Trump for a formal endorsement and isn’t planning to, four sources told the outlet.
The reluctance to reach out to Trump comes amid speculation that he may run for president in 2024 even if Trump jumps in as well.
“[DeSantis is] a Cat 5 hurricane in Florida politics — and in a good way if you are a Republican,” Anthony Pedicini, a GOP consultant in Florida, told Politico. “He is a force of nature.”
Trump claims credit for DeSantis win:
Trump on Monday argued that he was “very responsible” for getting DeSantis elected in 2018.
"I don't know that he wants to run. I have a good relationship with Ron, I don't know that he wants to run. I haven't seen that. You're telling me something that I've not seen, so we'll see what happens," Trump told Newsmax about the 2024 rumors. "But no, I was very responsible for getting him elected.”
"If I didn't endorse him, he wouldn't have won," he said.
DeSantis leads Trump in NH:
Amid the 2024 speculation, a new University of New Hampshire Granite State poll on Wednesday found DeSantis slightly ahead of Trump in a potential matchup in the first-in-the-nation primary state.
DeSantis is at 39% while Trump is at 37% in the poll.
The university’s previous poll had found DeSantis trailing Trump by more than 20 points.
Former Vice President Mike Pence is at 9%, former UN Ambassador Nikki Haley is at 6%, and former Secretary of State Mike Pompeo, South Dakota Gov. Kristi Noem and Texas Sen. Ted Cruz are at 1%.
