Ken Buck’s advice for DeSantis: Don’t try to out-Trump Trump

As the GOP presidential primary race takes off, Rep. Ken Buck (R-Colo.) has some advice for Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis.

“My advice is not to try to out-Trump Donald Trump,” Buck said on CNN’s “State of the Union,” when asked if he had an tips for his former House colleague.

“There is nobody that … really that operates in the same area as Donald Trump, and I think Ron DeSantis has a strong record of accomplishment in Florida when he was dealing with Covid and some other areas, and I think those are the things he should be running on,” Buck said.

DeSantis launched his highly anticipated campaign last month, and has since been on a whirlwind tour of several key states, popping from Iowa to New Hampshire to South Carolina. The Republican governor has largely avoided direct hits against Trump, opting instead for veiled jabs about the “culture of losing” that he says has cast a shadow over the Republican Party in recent elections, including the 2022 midterms.

Though DeSantis is polling above other GOP hopefuls, he still lags well behind the former president, and the growing field could threaten to water down his support. Nine candidates have already entered, and at least three more are expected to join the race in the coming days.

Although Buck was willing to lend his advice Sunday, he wasn’t ready to throw his full support behind DeSantis.

“I have not endorsed Ron DeSantis, and I would go to events for Nikki Haley or Tim Scott or others who are friends,” Buck said. “But I do think that he, Ron, should do his very best to run on his strong record as governor.”