DeSantis heads to battleground states to boost Trump-backed candidates

Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis (R) is set to hit the campaign trail this month for several of former President Trump’s endorsed candidates in a handful of 2022 battlegrounds.

DeSantis will travel to Arizona, New Mexico, Ohio and Pennsylvania this month for a series of rallies hosted and organized by the conservative group Turning Point Action, the governor’s campaign announced Monday. Fox News first reported the news.

Those rallies will see the Florida governor stump for several Republican candidates, including Ohio Senate nominee J.D. Vance, Pennsylvania gubernatorial nominee Doug Mastriano, Arizona Senate nominee Blake Masters and Arizona gubernatorial nominee Kari Lake.

The rallies are being billed as an effort to “unite” the GOP ahead of the 2022 midterm elections, with Turning Points Action founder and president Charlie Kirk telling Fox News that DeSantis “has become the model for a new conservative movement” in the United States.

“That he is willing to throw the full weight of his support behind Kari, Blake, and JD tells you everything you need to know about these incredible candidates who I endorse and support 100%,” Kirk said.

The rally circuit will reportedly take DeSantis to Roswell, N.M., to stump for Rep. Yvette Herrell on Aug. 14. That same day, he’ll travel to Phoenix to campaign for Masters and Lake.

Five days later, on Aug. 19, DeSantis will travel to Pittsburgh for a rally supporting Mastriano and then to Youngstown, Ohio, where he’ll attend a rally for Vance.

Each of the candidates that DeSantis is rallying for has been endorsed by Trump, with the exception of Herrell, though she previously won the former president’s support during her successful 2020 campaign for her House seat.

DeSantis’s travel plans are the latest evidence of his growing sway among Republican voters nationally amid speculation that he could mount a 2024 bid for the GOP presidential nomination.

But notably, the rallies don’t put him in direct contention with Trump, who is also said to be weighing a comeback campaign of his own.

While DeSantis has traveled extensively this year for various political events, the rally schedule marks something of a shift in his strategy. He’s met with donors and influential figures in other states but has held few rallies for midterm candidates. He also made a trip to Las Vegas in April to stump for GOP Senate hopeful Adam Laxalt, a longtime friend of the Florida governor.

Updated: 12:11 p.m.