(UnitedVoice.com) – Republicans will begin voting in the primary in less than a year. Former President Donald Trump is running for a second term, hoping to become the 47th president. Former South Carolina Governor Nikki Haley, entrepreneur Vivek Ramaswamy, and former Arkansas Governor Asa Hutchinson have also all announced their campaigns for the GOP nomination. One big name has not been added to the list: Florida Governor Ron DeSantis.
Though the head of the Sunshine State has not officially thrown his hat in the ring, he’s accused of running a shadow campaign. He’s very popular in the party, but that could be slipping a bit. Recently, a congressman met with DeSantis and then announced he was endorsing his biggest rival for the nomination.
Congressman Endorses Trump
On April 18, Rep. Lance Gooden (R-TX) announced he was endorsing Trump for president. The decision came after the congressman met with DeSantis. In a statement released on Twitter, the lawmaker said he made the choice with “careful consideration” after the meeting. Though he said he likes what the governor has done in Florida, he thinks the 45th president has a “proven track record and commitment to putting America first.”
Gooden said Trump is a “tireless fighter, a champion of American jobs, a guardian of our economy,” someone who fights illegal immigration and has vigorously supported the troops and veterans. He believes that the former president is the only one who can snatch the country back from the “leftist forces that threaten to destroy it.”
Today, after careful consideration and a positive meeting with Governor DeSantis, I have decided to endorse President @realDonaldTrump for 2024.
I look forward to fighting alongside him to reclaim our country from the leftist forces trying to destroy it. pic.twitter.com/WqMNKxv6hV
— Lance Gooden (@Lancegooden) April 18, 2023
Problems for DeSantis
It wasn’t just Gooden who has thrown his hat in the ring for Trump. A congressman in DeSantis’ very own state did the same. Rep. Greg Steube (R-FL), who was injured earlier this year in a fall, announced he was endorsing the former president, too.
During an April 17 appearance on Newsmax, Steube said that he thinks Trump is the only one who can fix what President Joe Biden has broken, The Hill reported. He explained that he thinks if the former POTUS were still in office, many things would not have happened.
It’s not just the endorsements going the wrong way for the Florida governor, donors are taking a second look as well. Thomas Peterffy, a major donor for the GOP, told the Financial Times that he has stopped plans to finance DeSantis’ campaign.
Peterffy told the outlet that the governor’s “stance on abortion and book banning” were not working for him and “a bunch of friends.”
DeSantis has not commented on the recent losses.
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