Republican presidential candidate and Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis was endorsed by Oklahoma Gov. Kevin Stitt at a rally held on the outskirts of Tulsa Saturday.
Before DeSantis took to the stage, Stitt said he “officially, 100%” endorses DeSantis.
“We need the next president to be in office for eight years. We’ve got to defeat Joe Biden. I believe Ron DeSantis is the right guy,” said Stitt.
Stitt lauded DeSantis for his role in sending migrants to Martha’s Vineyard, and for refusing a mask mandate during the COVID pandemic.
“COVID was a beat down for governors, okay? The Biden administration was trying to force us to shut our states down. I was one of the few governors in the country who refused to do a mask mandate statewide. Guess who the other governor was? Ron DeSantis,” said Stitt.
Stitt is the first Republican governor to endorse a candidate for president in the 2024 election cycle. Last fall, it was DeSantis who endorsed Stitt for Oklahoma's governor.
The rally, sponsored by super PAC Never Back Down, drew a crowd of several hundred to the small F&E Creek Event Center near Catoosa. With temperatures inside the venue sweltering, not everyone who wanted to attend was allowed inside the packed site.
15-year-old Cane Webb, who was in the overflow crowd, said he likes Republican presidential nominee front-runner Donald Trump, but he isn’t sure who his preferred candidate is yet.
“I like what DeSantis has been saying. I feel like he’s young and would make a good choice as president,” said Webb.
Trump lashed out at Stitt Monday on his own website Truth Social, claiming Stitt had called him when he was in “BIG trouble” during his governor’s campaign in 2022.
Stitt ended up winning by more than 10 percentage points.
Stitt and DeSantis continued on the campaign trail together Saturday night, appearing at the 101 Wild West Rodeo in Ponca City.
Great night at the Ponca City Rodeo! pic.twitter.com/kzHx88EZwD
— Ron DeSantis (@RonDeSantis) June 11, 2023
