Republican presidential candidate and Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis was endorsed by Gov. Kevin Stitt at a rally held on the outskirts of Tulsa Saturday.
Before DeSantis took to the stage, Stitt said he “officially, 100%” endorses DeSantis.
“We need the next president to be in office for eight years. We’ve got to defeat Joe Biden. I believe Ron DeSantis is the right guy,” said Stitt.
Stitt lauded DeSantis for his role in sending migrants to Martha’s Vineyard, and for refusing a mask mandate during the COVID pandemic.
“COVID was a beatdown for governors, okay? The Biden administration was trying to force us to shut our states down. I was one of the few governors in the country who refused to do a mask mandate statewide. Guess who the other governor was? Ron DeSantis,” said Stitt.
The rally, sponsored by super PAC Never Back Down, drew a crowd of several hundred to the small F&E Creek Event Center near Catoosa. With temperatures inside of the venue sweltering, not everyone who wanted to attend was allowed inside the packed site.
15-year-old Cane Webb, who was in the overflow crowd, said he likes Republican presidential nominee frontrunner Donald Trump, but he isn’t sure who his preferred candidate is yet.
“I like what DeSantis has been saying. I feel like he’s young and would make a good choice as president,” said Webb.
Stitt and DeSantis will continue on the campaign trail together. Their next stop is in the north central part of the state where they’ll appear at the Ponca City Rodeo.
This report was produced by the Oklahoma Public Media Exchange, a collaboration of public media organizations. Help support collaborative journalism by donating at the link at the top of this webpage.
