North Carolina pols endorse Ron DeSantis for President

Gov. Ron DeSantis’ presidential campaign is touting new Tar Heel State endorsements.

A total of 19 North Carolina Republicans — including a state Supreme Court Justice, three state Senators and a group of House members — are backing the Florida Governor in the 2024 race.

“Gov. DeSantis is a principled leader, a protector of individual liberties and the Left’s biggest nightmare,” North Carolina House Majority Leader John Bell said. “He will beat Joe Biden and usher in a Great American Comeback in which parents are empowered, our streets are safe, and our economy is booming once again.”

Bell is the only endorser to offer a quote, but the list of backers is impressive.

State Supreme Court Justice Phil Berger Jr. is on board, as are state Sens. Danny Britt, Jim Burgin and Bobby Hanig. State Reps. Jennifer Balkcom, Allen Chesser, Kevin Crutchfield, Kenneth Fontenot, Keith Kidwell, Jarrod Lowery, Jeff McNeely, Dennis  Riddell, Steve Ross, Jason Saine, Wayne Sasser, Sam Watford, David Willis and Matthew Winslow are also endorsing.

Recent polling of North Carolina Republicans suggests the state is Donald Trump’s to lose.

A June survey from Opinion Diagnostics shows the former President doubling the Florida Governor’s support in a crowded field, 44% to 22%.

Other candidates are far behind. Nikki Haley has 7% support, Mike Pence is at 6%, Tim Scott has 4%, Chris Christie sits at 2%, Asa Hutchinson and Vivek Ramaswamy are at 1% each, and other candidates hold 2%, with 11% undecided.

When the race is reduced to a Trump-DeSantis faceoff, the former President commands 50% support, with 34% backing DeSantis, and the remainder undecided. Trump gains 6% compared to the eight-way race, while DeSantis gains 13%.

Though a 22-point deficit is daunting for DeSantis, it’s still a better performance than a poll released last month from the John Locke Foundation.

That survey found DeSantis trailing Trump, with 22% support against 55% for the former President.

During his most recent appearance in North Carolina, the Governor made news by vowing to restore “the name of Fort Bragg to our great military base in Fayetteville, North Carolina.”

“And thank the people that have served there. And they’re proud of their service there. It’s an iconic name and iconic base. We’re not going to let political correctness run amok in North Carolina,” DeSantis said to cheers.

Fort Bragg was renamed “Fort Liberty” on the recommendation of the Department of Defense’s Commission on the Naming of Items. The goal was to change names of facilities “that commemorate the Confederate States of America or any person who served voluntarily with the Confederate States of America.”