In the early stages of the 2024 Republican presidential primaries, former President Donald Trump and Gov. Ron DeSantis have drawn on two different pools of support in the Sunshine State.
Trump has reeled in the support of most of the Florida delegation on Capitol Hill. Florida Republican U.S. Reps. Gus Bilirakis, Vern Buchanan, Byron Donalds, Matt Gaetz, Carlos Gimenez, Anna Paulina Luna, Brian Mast, John Rutherford, Greg Steube, Michael Waltz and Dan Webster are backing Trump.
While Trump has done well in rounding up the support of Florida Republicans in Congress, he has not garnered the support of many Republican state legislators. The most notable exception is state Sen. Joe Gruters, R-Sarasota, a longtime supporter and former chairman of the Republican Party of Florida (RPOF), who is continuing to back Trump.
DeSantis has relied heavily on endorsements from state legislators and officials as he looks to nail down Florida. Lt. Gov. Jeanette Nuñez and state Attorney General Ashley Moody have endorsed the governor. So have dozens of state legislators, including state Senate President Kathleen Passidomo, R-Naples, and state House Speaker Paul Renner, R-Palm Coast.
U.S. Rep. Laurel Lee, R-Fla., is one of six current members of Congress to back DeSantis but the only one of them in the Florida delegation. Former U.S. Reps. Francis Rooney, R-Fla., and Tom Rooney, R-Fla., have also backed DeSantis.
Other Florida Republican officials behind DeSantis include Polk County Sheriff Grady Judd and Miami Dade County Clerk of the Court and Comptroller Juan Fernandez-Barquin, who the governor just appointed to that position.
Several top Florida Republican officials have either not taken sides yet or have no intention of offering endorsements. Among the Florida Republicans who haven’t endorsed so far include U.S. Sens. Marco Rubio and Rick Scott and state CFO Jimmy Patornis.
Other candidates have not reeled in any high-profile endorsements from Florida officials. This includes Miami Mayor Francis Suarez who launched an underdog campaign for the Republican presidential nomination last month.
