Ron DeSantis Endorses Derek Schmidt, Ties Gov. Laura Kelly to Biden Agenda 

Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis (R) traveled to Olathe, Kansas, over the weekend to endorse state Attorney General Derek Schmidt’s endeavor to swipe the governorship from Democrat Gov. Laura Kelly.

“Part of the reason I’m here is because, if you look over the last few years, governors have been more important to peoples’ freedoms than ever before,” DeSantis said.

“You saw this here in Kansas and they saw it in California, New York, and Illinois, and all these states where you had leftist governors locking people down. In Florida, we lifted people up,” DeSantis said to a crowd of more than 1,000 people at Turning Point Action’s Unite and Win Rally, according to the Kansas Reflector.

DeSantis also stated on social media that Schmidt is a “proven leader and will continue to fight for the people of Kansas as Governor.”

“He will support law enforcement, ensure safe communities, and protect the freedoms of the people of Kansas. I’m proud to stand with him,” the Florida governor wrote.

DeSantis took the opportunity to slam the vulnerable incumbent, who has been campaigning on the claim that she is a middle-of-the-road candidate.

“DeSantis said Kelly was in step with Biden’s agenda, including response to the COVID-19 pandemic, proclaiming there was ‘no daylight between them. Basically, it’s like having Biden as governor here,'” the Kansas Reflector report states.

Schmidt joined in, saying, “we are going to retired Laura Kelly in November.”

“We need a Kansas governor who didn’t hurt our kids by rushing to lock them out of school, who won’t trail far behind the nation in recovering jobs her lockdowns destroyed, who never again will lose hundreds of millions of tax dollars to unemployment fraud,” he said.

While there hasn’t been much polling on the Kansas race, RealClearPolitics rates the race “Leans GOP” and projects the state to be a “GOP pickup.” Cook Political Report has dubbed the race a “toss-up.” Kelly and Schmidt are set to face off in their second debate on October 5.