President Donald Trump
is planning to campaign in Florida next week for U.S. Rep. Ron DeSantis and Gov. Rick Scott.
President Donald Trump will head to Tampa next week to campaign for U.S. Rep. Ron DeSantis, whose Republican campaign for governor has been surging of late.
The president also is expected to stump for Republican Gov. Rick Scott, who is running to unseat Democratic U.S. Sen. Bill Nelson. But it’s not clear yet if Scott will be there with him.
Asked if Scott would be on stage with the president, campaign spokeswoman Lauren Schenone responded with an email saying, “The Governor’s schedule for that day has not yet been finalized. We will keep you updated.”
Scott has been putting some distance between himself and the president in recent weeks, an apparent effort to seek the support of independent voters he likely will need to win in the fall.
DeSantis, who recent polls suggest has taken over the lead in the race, won the endorsement of the president last month in the Aug. 28 GOP primary over Agriculture Secretary Adam Putnam.
The Trump rally will be held Tuesday at 7 p.m. at the Florida State Fairgrounds. According to the Trump campaign, the president is “expected to address the latest record-breaking jobs and economic data from the booming Trump economy, his nomination of Brett Kavanaugh to the Supreme Court, and the importance for Floridians to get out and vote this fall for key races to support his agenda; including to support Rick Scott who is running to defeat Ben Nelson in the U.S. Senate, Matt Gaetz for reelection to the U.S. House, and Ron DeSantis for Governor.”
The statement apparently makes a mistaken reference to former Nebraska governor and Sen. Ben Nelson, instead of Bill Nelson.
“Die-hard Putnam supporters would wish the president wouldn’t endorse. But at the end of the day, whoever wins that primary will unite Florida Republicans,” Tom Reynolds, former New York congressman and head of the GOP’s congressional fundraising arm, told the Associated Press.