Republican Gov. Kim Reynolds of Iowa endorsed Republican Gov. Ron DeSantis of Florida for president during a Monday rally.

DeSantis trails former President Donald Trump by 45.3% in the RealClearPolitics average of polls taken from Oct. 4 to Nov 2, drawing 13.3% of Republican primary voters to 58.5% for Trump. Trump and Reynolds clashed over her initial refusal to endorse him in May, with the former president noting his endorsement of her when she ran for election in 2018.

“We can turn this country around, but if we don’t get this next election right, if we don’t choose tight, we are not going to get this country back,” Reynolds said during remarks at the Monday rally. “So we have to do everything we can to make the right choice.”

“Most leaders buckled under that pressure. They listened to Fauci instead of the real science. But there was one man running for President who did not: Ron DeSantis!” – @KimReynoldsIA on DeSantis’ COVID response pic.twitter.com/382GD6u4Ou

— Never Back Down (@NvrBackDown24) November 7, 2023

“Not only do we need to make sure we can elect someone who can win and beat Joe Biden, we need a president who has the skill and the resolve to reverse the madness that we see every single day,” Reynolds continued. “We need someone who will fight for you and win for you. We need someone who won’t get distracted but will stay disciplined who puts this country first and not himself. That leader… that leader… that leader is Ron DeSantis.”

Reynolds praised DeSantis for his handling of the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020, especially his opposition to lockdowns.

“The pressure to shut down, to ‘shelter in place,’ to keep our kids out of school, was unbelievable and it came from every corner, even from the White House,” Reynolds said. “You know, most leaders, they buckled under that pressure, they listened to Fauci instead of the real science, but there was one man running for president who did not: Ron DeSantis.”

“When the liberals and media came after him, he stood his ground,” Reynolds continued. “When the Trump administration let Fauci lead their response, Ron had the courage to say not in Florida.”

Reynolds also posted her endorsement on X, formerly known as Twitter, Monday evening.

We need someone who gets results. Someone who knows when life begins.

Someone who looks to the future. Someone who can WIN!

That’s @RonDesantis. And I’m proud to stand here tonight and give him my full support and endorsement for President of the United States! pic.twitter.com/Ojl5TPF7Yb

— Kim Reynolds (@KimReynoldsIA) November 7, 2023

“We need someone who gets results. Someone who knows when life begins,” Reynolds said. “Someone who looks to the future. Someone who can WIN! That’s @RonDesantis. And I’m proud to stand here tonight and give him my full support and endorsement for President of the United States!”

Reynolds previously had pledged to remain neutral during the Iowa caucuses during a May 31 appearance on “The Ingraham Angle,” citing Iowa’s first-in-the-nation role in the Republican nomination contest. The former president leads DeSantis by 30.3% in Iowa in an average of state polls taken from Sept. 15 to Nov. 5.

Trump did not immediately respond to a request for comment from the Daily Caller News Foundation.

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