Rep. Thomas Massie preemptively endorses DeSantis for president

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Congress IRS Commissioner
House Committee on Oversight and Government Reform members, Rep. Tom Massie, R-Ky., left, and Ron DeSantis, R-Fla. talk on Capitol Hill in Washington, Wednesday, June 15, 2016, during the committee’s hearing to consider a censure of IRS Commissioner John Koskinen. (AP Photo/Lauren Victoria Burke)

Rep. Thomas Massie preemptively endorses DeSantis for president

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Rep. Thomas Massie (R-KY) delivered a preemptive endorsement of Gov. Ron DeSantis (R-FL) on Wednesday and encouraged him to enter the 2024 GOP fray.

“America needs a leader who is decisive, respects the Constitution, understands policy, puts family first, and leads by inspiring. That’s why I’m endorsing Ron DeSantis for President,” Massie said in a statement.

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Massie is the second current member of the lower chamber to back DeSantis, following Rep. Chip Roy (R-TX), who endorsed him last month. Prior to his ascension to the Florida governor’s mansion, DeSantis served in Congress from 2013 to 2018, in which he was a member of the Freedom Caucus.

“I’ve been honored to call Ron DeSantis a friend for over a decade. During the six years we served together in Congress, I witnessed Ron fight for economic freedom, personal liberty, fiscal responsibility, and constitutionally limited government,” Massie added.

Former President Donald Trump remains the front-runner in the GOP field. Massie clashed with Trump back in March 2020 when Massie sought to stall a $2.2 trillion COVID-19 spending bill. The two appeared to mend fences in the time since, as Trump endorsed his reelection bid in 2022.

Dozens of members of the GOP caucus in both chambers of Congress have issued endorsements for the 2024 GOP race. Rep. Ralph Norman (R-SC) endorsed Republican hopeful Nikki Haley, and Rep. Greg Pence (R-IN) appeared to give an implicit endorsement of his brother, former Vice President Mike Pence.

Trump has topped all of his foes with over three dozen congressional endorsements, including a recent one from Sen. Cindy Hyde-Smith (R-MS) announced this week.

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DeSantis is expected to make his 2024 plans known after the Florida state legislature concludes its session in May. He is polling in second place for a hypothetical GOP primary, according to the latest RealClearPolitics polling aggregate.

“In his congressional office and as Governor, Ron has always surrounded himself with capable people who share his principles. Ron knows that putting America first means putting Americans first, not corporations, and he’s never backed down from a fight with the big guys in pharma, agriculture, and tech,” Massie added.

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