The Ron DeSantis drumbeat is growing louder.
The Florida governor secured dozens of endorsements in the first primary state of New Hampshire Tuesday ahead of his expected entry into the 2024 presidential race — and locked up the backing of two key lawmakers in his home state as well.
Florida House Speaker Paul Renner and Senate President Kathleen Passidomo both officially announced their support for a DeSantis GOP primary bid.
“Under his leadership during the pandemic, the Free State of Florida became a beacon of liberty and opportunity like never before, as families and businesses flocked from high-tax, lockdown states in search of a better way of life,” Passidomo said in a statement. “Governor DeSantis is exactly the kind of leader we need for our country, and I look forward to supporting him for President.”
Renner — a close ally of the Republican grassroots favorite — echoed his colleague.
“As Gov. DeSantis makes his final decision to run for higher office, it would be my honor to endorse his candidacy for President of the United States,” he said Tuesday.
Meanwhile, DeSantis-supporting super PAC Never Back Down unveiled endorsements from 51 New Hampshire state representatives — including some who previously backed former President Donald Trump in the expected upcoming clash.
The defectors included Republican state House Majority Leader Jason Osborne, who served as a Trump delegate in both 2016 and 2020.
Osborne told the Washington Examiner that the GOP was in dire need of refreshment — and that DeSantis, 44, had the conservative bona fides to take the party’s helm.
“I don’t want to say anything bad about the guy, but it’s like having a favorite comedian, and you listen to that CD over and over again, and eventually, you get tired of it,” Osborne said of Trump, 76.
New Hampshire Reps. Brian Cole and Debra DiSimone were also identified as flipping from supporting Trump to backing DeSantis.
However, the endorsement rollout wasn’t seamless, with Granite State Rep. Lisa Smart insisting in a statement from the 45th president’s campaign that she was still on the Trump train.
“I was so incredibly proud to join many of my colleagues in endorsing President Donald J. Trump last month and my support for him has not changed,” Smart said. “I’m dismayed by the games being played by Never Back Down and I will NOT be participating in any activities with Ron DeSantis.”
Another purported flipper, Juliet Harvey-Bolia, told the same outlet that she was “endorsing both” Trump and DeSantis.
“DeSantis has a lot of promise for the future, and Trump is great now,” she attempted to explain, without elaborating.
The New Hampshire endorsees are the second batch of early state lawmakers to line up behind the Sunshine State governor.
Never Back Down revealed last week that more than three dozen Iowa state lawmakers — including state Senate President Amy Sinclair — were backing the Floridian.
While DeSantis has established some momentum heading into his presumptive announcement, most polls still show Trump with a commanding lead over his fellow Florida resident.
But Never Back Down founder Ken Cuccinelli — a former Trump administration official — told The Post Tuesday he expects a wave of DeSantis endorsements to shake up the nascent contest in the coming weeks.
“This is not your ordinary round of endorsements,” he said. “These are folks who in their view are going out on a limb. There is courage in that. It also speaks to the strength of their choice.”
Trump campaign officials released their own list of Iowa endorsers, asserting that his support in the Hawkeye State remains robust. But according to an Axios report, some of the names on the roster were unaware of their inclusion and had not yet made their decision.
While Trump cancelled a scheduled Saturday night Des Moines rally due to weather concerns, DeSantis touched down in Iowa for a series of appearances.
“We must reject the culture of losing that has infected our party in recent years,” DeSantis said at one of his stops, reprising a thinly veiled jab at his former ally turned rival.
While Trump has been unrestrained in his attacks on DeSantis, Cuccinelli said he doesn’t expect the governor to modify his approach after throwing his hat into the ring.
“I don’t think it’s going to be anything like the traditional hockey fight that you are used to,” he said. “To the extent that he unfurls himself to engage directly, it will be less than what you are used to seeing.”
Cuccinelli said DeSantis will instead amplify his record as governor and Florida’s Republican renaissance.
“He has so much performance to point to,” he said. “He will run on his record. He has wins in all the conservative circles that matter.”
The former Virginia attorney general also said his PAC is prepared to repel Trump’s primary line of attack — that DeSantis represents establishment party interests rather than grassroots Republican voters.
Cuccinelli argued that Trump’s prior alliances with members of the GOP’s old guard — including Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-KY), House Speaker Kevin McCarthy (R-Calif.) and Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-S.C.) belie his maverick posturing.
“He is not anti-establishment,” he said of Trump. “He is part of the establishment. He’s unconventional. That’s it.”