Rep. Rich McCormick, R-Ga., has given an emphatic endorsement for Florida GOP Gov. Ron DeSantis, who is on the verge of officially filing and declaring his 2024 Republican presidential primary campaign.
"We need a warrior who will do whatever it takes to champion conservative values and safeguard the next generation," McCormick tweeted with a video Tuesday. "When it comes to the 2024 election, I've made my choice: Governor @RonDeSantis is battle-tested and ready to be our next president."
McCormick, a Marine pilot veteran and emergency room doctor, was endorsed by Georgia GOP Gov. Brian Kemp in the past midterm election and is the first elected official from Georgia to officially endorse DeSantis.
"Under this president's failed leadership, our union has suffered," McCormick said in his video statement. "The southern border is a wreck, crime is overrunning cities, and our energy policy empowers China, who pollutes the world more than anyone else."
Georgia is a key state for DeSantis in the GOP primary because it is one of the battleground states that broke from Trump to elect President Joe Biden in 2020.
"This election is about winning — who can fight and win against the radical left and their allies in the media?" McCormick said. "Who can earn victory in Georgia? Who can beat Joe Biden?
"This election is not about the past, it's about the future — who can lift us up? Who can inspire a nation? Who can lead us forward? That's Gov. Ron DeSantis — a bold conservative, a man of character and conviction, a champion of our values."