Republican Iowa Gov. Kim Reynolds endorsed Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis for president on Monday, calling the GOP White House hopeful “one of the most effective leaders” she’s even seen.
Republican Iowa Gov. Kim Reynolds endorsed Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis for president on Monday, calling the GOP White House hopeful “one of the most effective leaders” she’s ever seen.
Reynolds, 64, had previously suggested that she would remain neutral through the Iowa Caucus, the first GOP presidential nominating contest, but citing the “unprecedented times,” she said Monday, “I could not and cannot sit on the sidelines any longer.”
“Not only do we need to make sure that we elect someone who can win and beat Joe Biden, we need a president who has the skill and the resolve to reverse the madness that we see every single day,” Reynolds told DeSantis supporters at a rally in Des Moines.
“Someone who will fight for you and win for you. We need someone who won’t get distracted but will stay disciplined who puts this country first and not himself. That leader is Ron DeSantis,” the Iowa governor said.
Reynolds, who was tapped to lead the Hawkeye State in 2017 after former President Trump moved to appoint her predecessor, Terry Branstad, to serve as US ambassador to China, praised the Florida governor’s handling of the COVID-19 pandemic, hurricanes and his family life during her endorsement speech.
“The pressure to shut down and ‘shelter in place’ to keep our kids out of school was unbelievable, and it came from every corner, even from the White House,” Reynolds said.
