Trump rallies support in gubernatorial race

Associated Press

TAMPA, Fla.

Wading into Florida Republican politics and a competitive primary, President Donald Trump on Tuesday delivered a hearty endorsement for Republican Rep. Ron DeSantis.

At a rally in Tampa, Trump praised DeSantis as “a tough, brilliant cookie” and predicted a win in his race against Agriculture Commissioner Adam Putnam in the state’s Aug. 28 Republican primary.

Trump also railed against Democratic Sen. Bill Nelson, who is being challenged by Trump ally Gov. Rick Scott in a high-profile Senate race.

Trump, who has maintained a steady presence in the state, said the only time he sees Nelson is “five months before every election.”

“After a while, you forget who’s the senator,” Trump said, adding that he wants to make sure Scott “wins and wins big.”

Scott didn’t joined Trump at the rally but appeared with him at an earlier roundtable event.

Trump’s arrival in Florida underscored the larger-than-life presence he has wielded in Republican primaries ahead of the 2018 midterm elections, capable of influencing the outcomes of primaries with a single tweet.

With sky-high approval ratings among Republican voters, the president has injected himself into several recent GOP primaries, helping candidates in Georgia, Alabama and South Carolina with endorsements that have helped set the stage for the fall elections.