Ron DeSantis snatches former South Carolina Tim Scott endorsers

2024 Election

By Eric Daugherty

Published Nov. 17, 2023, 11:30 a.m. ET | Updated Nov. 17, 2023

Gov. Ron DeSantis campaigns for president in Iowa, Aug. 5, 2023. (Photo/Never Back Down)

TALLAHASSEE, Fla. – Gov. Ron DeSantis’ campaign celebrated receiving several endorsements from local leaders who previously endorsed U.S. Sen. Tim Scott, R-S.C.

The endorsements came after Scott dropped out of the race.

DeSantis had praised Scott after the senator dropped out, saying, “I respect his courage.”

The governor posted on social media that he looks forward to Scott being a “leader in our party [the GOP] for years to come.”

”Tim Scott is a strong conservative with bold ideas about how to get our country back on track,” DeSantis said.

Scott announced his campaign suspension during an interview on Fox News Channel’s Sunday Night in America with Trey Gowdy.

”I love America more today than I did on May 22nd,” Scott said, referencing the day he hosted his campaign kickoff. “But when I go back to Iowa, it will not be as a presidential candidate.”

“Ron DeSantis is the leader we need for this exact moment,” said Tom Harnett Jr., a South Carolina state representative. “He not only is the only candidate who I know can win, but he will be the president who will follow through on his promises to reverse the decline of our country.”

“I support Ron DeSantis because his record as Governor is unmatched,” Barnwell Mayor Pro Tem Peggy Kinlaw said. “DeSantis is a strong conservative who has protected our women and girls when other candidates have turned their backs on them.”

“I call on my colleagues to unite around Ron DeSantis, who I know will lead us to victory in November 2024 and then deliver a bold, conservative agenda as President of the United States,” Kinlaw said.

Below are the list of names who have endorsed DeSantis, per the campaign: