10 months ago
Influential evangelical leader Bob Vander Plaats, who endorsed Florida governor Ron DeSantis in the GOP presidential primary, this week went to lengths to demonstrate his support for former president Donald Trump.
Vander Plaats, president and CEO of the Family Leader, in an op-ed published Tuesday in the Des Moines Register, said that Trump may very well win the Republican primary, though the sheer number of “Trump haters will never allow him to win the presidency.”
He added, though, that he will “remain a friend” to the former president even after endorsing the Florida governor, who is struggling to gain traction in the 2024 contest and consistently trails Trump in most polls.
“By Iowans choosing DeSantis on Caucus night, Jan. 15, we will launch a candidate who can win, not just the primary, but the presidency as well. And when he wins, we will launch a proven leader who has a record of confronting the bureaucracy and defeating its elitist agenda,” Vander Plaats wrote.
“A DeSantis presidency ensures justice for Trump,” he added.
Vander Plaats’ endorsement has been correct in every recent Iowa caucus; he backed Mike Huckabee in 2008, Rick Santorum in 2012 and Ted Cruz in 2016. All three won Iowa but went on to lose the primary.
Iowa’s popular Republican governor, Kim Reynolds, also endorsed DeSantis.
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