Desantis picks up endorsement of Iowa evangelical leader

Florida Gov. Ron Desantis has picked up the endorsement of a key evangelical Christian leader in Iowa, giving his flagging Republican presidential campaign a much-needed boost in the critical first-in-the-nation caucus state.

With the kick-off GOP contest less than two months away, Bob Vander Plaats praised Desantis as a better choice to defeat President Biden than the dominant frontrunner, former President Donald Trump.

“When choosing, remember… Desantis will win,” Vander Plaats tweeted Wednesday. “Desantis will lead. For two terms.”

Vander Plaats, who leads a conservative group called The Family Leader, criticized Trump and called the GOP contest a two-person race despite the significant recent momentum behind former U.N. ambassador Nikki Haley.

“I just think he’s got the spine to do it, and I think he’s got the experience to win for us,” Vander Plaats told Fox News.

Vander Plaats said he issued the endorsement on the eve of the Thanksgiving holiday because that is traditionally the time that caucus-goers make their final decisions on a candidate ahead of the Jan. 15 contest.

Trump slammed the endorsement, accusing Vander Plaats of giving his endorsement in exchange for an infusion of cash from a pro-desantis political action committee, a claim he vigorously rejects.

“(Desantis), in an act of sheer desperation, paid Iowa preacher Bob Vander Plaats $100,000, and then got his endorsement?” Trump asked in a post on his social media site. “What is going on here?”

Evangelical Christian conservatives play an outsized role in Iowa’s GOP contest, potentially giving

Vander Plaats’ move significant weight.

The endorsement marks the second major recent nod for Desantis in the Hawkeye State after Gov. Kim Reynolds also endorsed him.

Desantis has virtually staked his once promising campaign on a strong performance in Iowa.

That would amount to a significant turnaround after many months of declining support in polls.

Despite declining to participate in any debates thus far, Trump is dominating the entire field with about 50 percent support in most national polls, suggesting he will romp to victory.