Trump-backed contender enters race for Florida governorship
A congressman who recently won President Donald Trump’s tweeted endorsement for the job of Florida governor - even before he was a candidate - has now entered the race.
Representative Ron DeSantis announced on Friday he will join a crowded field seeking to succeed Governor Rick Scott, who leaves office in 2019 because of term limits.
DeSantis’ entry comes after Trump tweeted last month that DeSantis is “a brilliant young leader” who “would make a GREAT governor.”
The 39-year-old DeSantis is a Navy veteran and graduate of both Yale and Harvard who has represented a northeast Florida district since 2013.
DeSantis took a swipe at other Republicans in Florida’s capital in his initial campaign announcement, vowing to “drain the swamp in Tallahassee that needs to be drained.”
Republicans have controlled state government for two decades.
