Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis’ policies as governor continued to play out on the presidential campaign trail on Wednesday, with a clash over the state’s new Black history standards that underscored the governor’s minimal support from his home state’s congressional delegation.
On Wednesday, GOP Rep. Byron Donalds (who has endorsed former President Donald Trump) wrote in a post on X, formerly known as Twitter, that while the standards are “good, robust and accurate … the attempt to feature the personal benefits of slavery is wrong & needs to be adjusted.”
The comments sparked pushback from some DeSantis aides, with one writing, “Did Kamala Harris write this tweet?,” per NBC News’ Zoë Richards. Trump campaign adviser Jason Miller responded in a statement “The Congressman also calls it like he sees it, and if he thinks something is BS, he’ll tell you. That’s why we like him so much.”
The clash serves as a reminder that just one member of Florida’s congressional delegation — Rep. Laurel Lee, who served in DeSantis’ administration — has endorsed the governor’s presidential bid. But 12 Florida House members, which is a majority of the 20 GOP lawmakers from the state, have endorsed Trump.
In other campaign news…
About face: Trump filmed a video for the Republican National Committee promoting the party’s new early voting effort after spending years leading a campaign undercutting confidence in it (he previously called for Republicans to early vote earlier this year).
The enemy of my enemy: Florida Republican Gov. Ron DeSantis floated the idea of having Democratic presidential candidate Robert F. Kennedy Jr. serve on the Food and Drug Administration or the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention if the Republican was elected president Kennedy has repeatedly spread conspiracy theories about vaccines over the years.
“Abortion on demand”: Republicans running for the White House may not have concrete plans for how they’d set federal abortion policy if they’re elected, but they agree on one thing: painting Democrats’ position as too extreme, NBC News’ Alex Tabet, Sarah Dean and Nnamdi Egwuonwu report.
Chris Christie on Jan. 6: In an interview with NBC News’ Andrea Mitchell, former New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie referenced a video of former White House Chief of Staff Mark Meadows not answering questions about whether he has testified before a grand jury about Jan. 6. “That looks to me like somebody who is cooperating with the federal government,” said Christie, a former prosecutor.
Vivek the rapper: Politico reports on Republican businessman Vivek Ramaswamy’s time in undergrad at Harvard rapping as “Da Vek.”
The field expands: Former Ambassador Jeffrey Ross Gunter plans to join the Republican primary for Senate in Nevada, NBC News’ Vaughn Hillyard reports. He’ll face Jim Marchant, a former candidate for Secretary of State, and Sam Brown, a retired Army Captain who also ran for Senate last year. Brown, who has been endorsed by the National Republican Senatorial Committee, was spotted at the Capitol on Wednesday attending the Senate GOP’s luncheon, per NBC News’ Liz Brown-Kaiser.
Sanders has spoken: Sen. Bernie Sanders, I-Vt. told NBC News’ Alex Seitz-Wald that he will endorse progressive former state Rep. Aaron Regunberg in the crowded Democratic primary for a special election to fill former Rhode Island Rep. David Cicilline’s seat.
Bishop to King 7? The Dispatch reports that North Carolina Republican Rep. Dan Bishop is considering a bid for state attorney general this cycle.
