Just days after the former president disparaged Iowa’s well-liked Republican governor, Kim Reynolds, a state senator from Iowa who had previously backed Donald Trump is reportedly now supporting Ron DeSantis.
On Thursday, Jeff Reichman, a state senator now serving his first term, declared his intention to join the Florida governor’s presidential campaign.
“Iowa Republicans must be united if we are going to take our country back and reverse Joe Biden’s failures. Gov. DeSantis has achieved the same type of commonsense policy victories in Florida as we have in Iowa under Gov. Kim Reynolds, and he will deliver historic success for the conservative movement as president as well.” Reichman announced in a statement.
Reynolds, who Trump has criticized for her friendliness for DeSantis, his major opponent for the GOP nominee, received praise from Reichman in a statement.
On Monday, shortly after The New York Times reported on the governor’s many appearances with the DeSantis campaign, Trump attacked Reynolds.
In response, Trump issued a statement claiming that Reynolds, who has vowed not to publicly support any candidate in the primary, would not have become governor if it weren’t for him since he named Terry Branstad, her predecessor, to his cabinet. Trump said that he had already given Reynolds his support.
DeSantis is anticipated to raise money for Iowa Republicans who have backed him, such as Reichman.
Republicans in Iowa have criticized Trump for skipping this week’s Family Leadership Summit in the state in addition to his criticism of Reynolds. DeSantis and other GOP presidential contenders are attending that conference.
[READ MORE: DeSantis Announces he’s Not Interested in Ever Being Trump’s Vice-President]
