Iowa Governor Kim Reynolds is reportedly set to endorse Florida Governor Ron DeSantis this week to be the next president of the United States.
Reynolds — who is the most powerful and influential Republican in Iowa — initially said that she was not planning on making an endorsement before the Iowa caucuses, but has changed her mind in recent months as the political operation backing DeSantis has poured enormous resources into winning the state.
In August, Reynolds told Fox News host Shannon Bream that voters in Iowa were not going to give former President Donald Trump, who is also running, a pass for skipping major caucus events in the state. Bream said that Reynolds’ endorsement in the state is viewed as a “game changer” among the Republican presidential candidates.
NBC News said that the endorsement from Reynolds — who is viewed as more favorable by Republicans in the state than any of the Republican presidential candidates — was a “major boost” for the DeSantis campaign, while the Des Moines Register said it was “an enormous win.”
“Reynolds plans to speak at DeSantis’ predebate rally Monday as well as a Davenport meet-and-greet Tuesday morning,” the Des Moines Register reported. “She will then fly to Miami to help him fundraise around Wednesday’s debate.”
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DeSantis has already campaigned in 87 of Iowa’s 99 counties and says he is further ahead right now with securing commitments from people who are going to caucus for him than the last few Republicans who won the state’s presidential primary were at this same point.
Her endorsement comes as Trump faces mounting legal troubles in multiple criminal cases against him, including three former attorneys who have flipped against him in one case alone.
While speaking to reporters late last month, DeSantis said that Reynolds’ endorsement would be a “huge get” for his campaign.
“I think what she’s been able to do in Iowa has really been a model for how people should govern,” DeSantis said. “Clearly, I think she could have a really significant impact. And I think any candidate running would be a fool not to want to have the support of Reynolds.”
DeSantis has courted Reynolds for months and has defended her from attacks from Trump, who has accused Reynolds of being insufficiently loyal.