A Republican legislative leader from South Florida is endorsing Congressman Ron DeSantis in his bid for Florida's next governor.
House Speaker-Designate Jose Oliva made the announcement Thursday morning.
“As a dedicated conservative, I am proud to endorse Ron DeSantis to be the next governor of our great state,” Oliva said. “Ron's commitment to this country and the values that made her great are second to none. Beginning with his service in Iraq alongside SEAL Team 1 through his time in Congress, Ron always puts America first. He's a tax cutter, budget hawk, education reformer, and the rarest of elected officials in Washington, a demonstrated conservative. Florida has consistently shown what conservative governance can do for our schools, economy, job creation, and quality of life.We must continue that legacy of conservative leadership and Ron DeSantis is the candidate we can trust to do that.”
Oliva represents the 110th District, which includes Hialeah and Miami Lakes in northern Miami-Dade County.
DeSantis is scheduled to meet his opponent for the GOP nomination, Agriculture Secretary Adam Putnam, in the first major, nationally-broadcast debate of the GOP primary tonight.
Most polls have shown Putnam ahead of DeSantis with almost half of Florida Republicans still undecided with two months to go until the primary.
You can listen live to all of the debate action beginning at 6:30 P.M. EST on WIOD.