This week, Gov. Ron DeSantis threw his support behind state Senate President Wilton Simpson, R-Tribly, to be Florida’s next agriculture commissioner.
“For commissioner of agriculture, I am supporting Wilton Simpson, who has helped pass major reform for election integrity, choice in education, big tech censorship and law enforcement recruitment,” DeSantis announced on Monday.
“Our great governor has led our state through these unprecedented times with a focus on our hardworking families and businesses. Together, we helped keep Florida free and prosperous, and I am honored to have his support,” Simpson replied to the endorsement.
Back in May, former President Donald Trump threw his support behind Simpson.
“Wilton Simpson has done an outstanding job as president of the Florida state Senate, and I hope he runs for Florida agriculture commissioner in 2022—he will have my complete and total endorsement! Wilton has been a great supporter and worked hard to get many good conservatives elected in Florida. He helped us grow our Republican majority in the Florida state Senate, and gave us a historic win in Florida in the 2020 presidential election,” Trump said. “Wilton will never let the great people of Florida down!”
Current Agriculture Commissioner Nikki Fried, the only Democrat holding statewide office in Florida, is running for governor.
Simpson does not have an open shot at the primary with businessman and veteran Chuck Nadd, businessman Richard Olle and businessman James Shaw also running for the Republican nomination. Businessman Ryan Morales is running for the Democratic nomination.
Nadd appeared on CBS 4 in Miami this past weekend and went on the attack against Simpson, insisting the Senate president “has not been a friend of conservative values in Florida” and trying to claim the governor’s mantle.
“I think it’s very important that we base all of our decisions in constitutional basis. And when you look at the arguments that Ron DeSantis has made and Ron DeSantis has been very clear that he would have been against and he would have vetoed the legislation after Marjory Stoneman Douglas, it just went too far in curtailing the constitutional rights of Floridians,” Nadd said.
