Giving a public political endorsement to a candidate puts your entire reputation on the line. Endorsing someone for president when you’re a U.S. Congressman carries even more political weight.
Florida Governor Ron DeSantis is slowly discovering that not every presidential pollical endorsement comes easily.
Representative Lance Gooden (R-TX) 40 has informed his constituents that he would not rubber stamp former President Donald Trump for president without vetting other serious candidates first.
Gooden has been accused of supporting former President Donald Trump “no matter what.” He says the only way to be transparent this time is to meet the candidates.
He plans to sit down with each serious political candidate to have a visit about the issues and make up his mind based on their responses to questions during the visit.
Several people Gooden has spoken with have supported the vetting approach and throwing his support to the candidate he feels will do the best job as president.
One of the serious candidates Gooden met with was Governor Ron DeSantis, who is expected to announce a presidential run near the end of May.
After meeting with DeSantis and discussing the issues, Gooden decided that “DeSantis is not ready to be president.”
He indicated he’s still in the Trump camp “1,000 percent.”
One of DeSantis’s faults with obtaining endorsements is the lack of personal contact. Several lawmakers complained that DeSantis’s aides contacted them rather than getting a personal call from DeSantis asking for the endorsement himself.
Many of those endorsing Trump said they got a personal call from Trump requesting their support of his candidacy.
Sources say DeSantis has issues obtaining lawmakers’ support in his state, with many coming out supporting Donald Trump. Representative Tim Burchett (R-TN) said he’d been “blown off” by DeSantis years before his presidential aspirations became known.
Gooden felt that a contentious primary would not be the best way to beat Joe Biden in 2024. Muddying the primary water with additional candidates isn’t going to get a positive message out that he feels only Trump can deliver. He continued that he does not feel DeSantis is the right man for this moment.
