DeSantis gets Oklahoma governor's endorsement at Tulsa appearance

Republican Oklahoma Gov. Kevin Stitt endorsed his Florida counterpart, Gov. Ron DeSantis, in the 2024 presidential election as DeSantis spoke Saturday in Tulsa.

DeSantis, a runner-up to former President Donald Trump in most polls of Republican voters, is campaigning uphill, with daily attacks from Trump serving as headwinds.

Stitt, introducing DeSantis at a special event in Tulsa hosted by the political action committee Never Back Down, said DeSantis is in step with fellow Republicans while maintaining a steady hand amid pandemic and political tumult.

"DeSantis did not surrender states’ rights and individual liberties over to groupthink," Stitt said. "In this election cycle, Oklahomans will remember that DeSantis was one of the few who never backed down."

The unsealing Friday of a 37-count indictment against Trump in connection with more than 100 government documents found at his Florida home in August is keeping Trump atop the news while posing an unavoidable challenge to opponents: recognize the seriousness of the case or embrace Trump's claim he's the victim of a witch hunt in which the Justice Department has been weaponized for political hit jobs.

Stitt didn't mention Trump, who carried Oklahoma in 2016 and 2020 with more than 65% of the vote. He described DeSantis as a "principled leader" who has a chance to serve back-to-back terms, a span of eight years. If Trump retakes the presidency, it would be his second term, and he would be able to serve only four years.

For Subscribers

FOR SUBSCRIBERSIt’s rarely been harder for people to find new jobs

FOR SUBSCRIBERSCBP leaders cut out of Trump ad buy decision

FOR SUBSCRIBERSAmerican passenger drafted goodbye texts to her family as Flydubai plane plummeted

FOR SUBSCRIBERSCornell rape allegation pushes embattled New York prosecutor into national spotlight

FOR SUBSCRIBERSAbdul El-Sayed tries to woo MAHA voters as Democrats seek inroads with RFK’s supporters

FOR SUBSCRIBERSKratom-like substances are popping up in a typically benign supplement

FOR SUBSCRIBERSGOP super PAC increases its spending for Sen. Jon Husted in tough Ohio race

FOR SUBSCRIBERSRecords reveal tumultuous marriage between slain New York Times executive and wife

FOR SUBSCRIBERSFrom clean energy warrior to ‘wall of shame,’ James Talarico reverses on a fossil fuel money pledge

FOR SUBSCRIBERSCongressional staff planned official trip with luxury stops in Italy and France weeks before election

FOR SUBSCRIBERSA harrowing ordeal aboard an Israel-bound plane

FOR SUBSCRIBERSOpenAI CEO Sam Altman to skip congressional hearing on rogue AI agents

FOR SUBSCRIBERSKey DOJ lawyers departed Trump ‘grand conspiracy’ probe amid pressure to produce, source says

FOR SUBSCRIBERSTrump’s new AI chatbot often links to a site launched under Clinton 26 years ago

FOR SUBSCRIBERSAt MAHA summit, industry CEOs the movement once vilified take the stage

"DeSantis has boldly delivered results for the people of Florida that laid the groundwork for a booming economy, an education system focused on student outcomes and better infrastructure for working families," Stitt said.

For Subscribers

FOR SUBSCRIBERSIt’s rarely been harder for people to find new jobs

FOR SUBSCRIBERSCBP leaders cut out of Trump ad buy decision

FOR SUBSCRIBERSAmerican passenger drafted goodbye texts to her family as Flydubai plane plummeted

FOR SUBSCRIBERSCornell rape allegation pushes embattled New York prosecutor into national spotlight

FOR SUBSCRIBERSAbdul El-Sayed tries to woo MAHA voters as Democrats seek inroads with RFK’s supporters

FOR SUBSCRIBERSKratom-like substances are popping up in a typically benign supplement

FOR SUBSCRIBERSGOP super PAC increases its spending for Sen. Jon Husted in tough Ohio race

FOR SUBSCRIBERSRecords reveal tumultuous marriage between slain New York Times executive and wife

FOR SUBSCRIBERSFrom clean energy warrior to ‘wall of shame,’ James Talarico reverses on a fossil fuel money pledge

FOR SUBSCRIBERSCongressional staff planned official trip with luxury stops in Italy and France weeks before election

FOR SUBSCRIBERSA harrowing ordeal aboard an Israel-bound plane

FOR SUBSCRIBERSOpenAI CEO Sam Altman to skip congressional hearing on rogue AI agents

FOR SUBSCRIBERSKey DOJ lawyers departed Trump ‘grand conspiracy’ probe amid pressure to produce, source says

FOR SUBSCRIBERSTrump’s new AI chatbot often links to a site launched under Clinton 26 years ago

FOR SUBSCRIBERSAt MAHA summit, industry CEOs the movement once vilified take the stage

The endorsement followed news that 20 Oklahoma state legislators and GOP former Rep. Jim Bridenstine had also endorsed DeSantis.

Speaking after Stitt, DeSantis addressed the challenge of Trump's indictment, saying that if he's elected, "you'll have the Justice Department cleaned out from top to bottom."