DeSantis gets his first gubernatorial endorsement

Oklahoma Gov. Kevin Stitt endorsed Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis in the Republican presidential primary on Saturday, the first endorsement DeSantis has received from a fellow GOP governor.

“I am officially, 100 percent, endorsing Ron DeSantis for president, and we’re going to win it in Oklahoma,” Stitt said Saturday ahead of DeSantis’ speech in Tulsa, Oklahoma.

DeSantis is “the right guy to beat Biden,” Stitt said, lauding the Florida governor’s leadership during the Covid-19 pandemic.

Stitt was endorsed by former President Donald Trump in his most recent reelection bid in 2022, in which he won more than 55 percent of the vote, beating Democratic challenger Joy Hofmeister in an election that was closer than expected.

Stitt's endorsement came after DeSantis unveiled endorsements from 20 Oklahoma state lawmakers and former Oklahoma Rep. Jim Bridenstine, a NASA administrator under former President Trump.

DeSantis still trails Trump in the polls. But as the former president faces a slate of new federal charges, his position as the GOP presidential front-runner could be in peril.