DeSantis Holds Saturday Call With Iowa Endorsers

Amid reports an official 2024 presidential campaign declaration is near, Florida GOP Gov. Ron DeSantis held a call Saturday with 31 of the 37 Iowa state legislators who have endorsed him for president, a member of DeSantis' political team told Newsmax.

"We are all extremely excited for Gov. DeSantis to launch his bid for the presidency," Iowa State Senate President Amy Sinclair said after the call, according to the official. "He has the energy and the ideas to win the White House. He is the man of the moment."

DeSantis has not made any official campaign declarations and Saturday's call made no definitive statements, but sources told Newsmax earlier this week the governor is expected to officially file the necessary paperwork next week with the Federal Election Commission after his weekend trip to New Hampshire.

DeSantis' call with his Iowa endorsers comes just a week after he made a pair of stops in the famed first caucus state. The Republican Party still hopes to help New Hampshire keep its first in the nation primary status following the 2024 Iowa caucuses.

DeSantis' campaign seeks to create momentum before an official campaign launch, touting visits last week with Iowa voters who had supported Trump but now want to back DeSantis.

"I was thinking about Trump, but I am supporting you 100%," one voter told DeSantis during one of the stops last week.

DeSantis has been focusing his pre-announcement work on the grassroots level and getting the support of key state legislature leaders.

Sinclair and Iowa House Majority Leader Matt Windschitl wrote a Des Moines Register op-ed last week hailing their support for an impending DeSantis 2024 presidential campaign.

"We're thrilled to announce our endorsement of Gov. Ron DeSantis for president of the United States," they wrote.

"As Americans, we respect those who earn their keep. Since our country's founding, we've valued hard work and excellence. Americans prize those with a track record of success, and Republicans believe in merit as an ideal to be upheld — not as something to worry about, as many on the left see it.

"It's that belief in merit that's behind our endorsement of Gov. DeSantis. Simply put, he's proven himself a shining example of conservative leadership, and he has accomplished an ambitious agenda that's propelled his state forward."

The 37 Iowa endorsements for DeSantis came May 12, just days before his stops there last Saturday, which included a speech that aired live on Newsmax.

DeSantis famously trolled Trump and 2020 and 2022 election struggles of Republicans in the speech.

"I think the hope is both Florida and Iowa show how strong leadership and a bold agenda can defeat the left in this country, but there's no substitute for victory," DeSantis told a Sioux Center, Iowa, fundraiser.

"We must reject the culture of losing that has infected our party in recent years. The time for excuses is over. We've got to demonstrate the courage to lead and the strength to win."