As the first Republican to announce his candidacy for 2024, former and potentially future President Donald Trump has had his advantages, among them time to receive plenty of endorsements. Among those few declared candidates, Trump is clearly the front-runner, and it's likely to be a race between him and Gov. Ron DeSantis (R-FL). DeSantis has yet to declare he is running, though, and many of Trump's endorsements have come from and continue to come from Florida.
Rep. Cory Mills (R-FL) spoke to TIME to share that he was endorsing Trump, which was shared via email by the Trump campaign on Monday afternoon. Mills, a freshman, had been endorsed by Trump for his seat last October. He went on to win last November by over 17 points against Democrat Karen Green.
EXCLUSIVE: Florida GOP Congressman @CoryMillsFL Backs @realDonaldTrump for President.
— Alex Bruesewitz 🇺🇸 (@alexbruesewitz) April 10, 2023
“We need to stop the infighting and come together and unify. And I think right now the person that we need to be unifying behind is Trump.”https://t.co/zQ5xEqd9pe
The indictment brought by Manhattan DA Alvin Bragg against Trump late last month had something to do with the endorsement. "I think that what’s happening in New York is a very unifying event," Mills told TIME. "We need to stop the infighting and come together and unify. And I think right now the person that we need to be unifying behind is President Trump."
Mills is not the only member of Congress who mentioned the unprecedented indictment brought against Trump when it comes to making an endorsement. Sen. Cindy Hyde-Smith (R-MS) began her endorsement with such a reference, which was posted over Facebook last Monday, the eve of Trump's arrest.
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Mills' endorsement comes not long after Rep. Byron Donalds (R-FL) announced his endorsement for Trump last Thursday, which was shared on the congressman's personal Twitter account. The Trump campaign also sent out an "ICYMI" email about the endorsement on Monday afternoon, shortly before sending out an email about Mills' announcement. Reps. Anna Paulina Luna (R-FL) and Matt Gaetz (R-FL) have also already endorsed Trump, with the former also mentioning the indictment when speaking to TIME.
Thanks to @CoryMillsFL for joining other members of the FL Congressional Delegation like @mattgaetz, @ByronDonalds & @realannapaulina in endorsing my father for President in 2024!
— Donald Trump Jr. (@DonaldJTrumpJr) April 10, 2023
Proud to have this amazing group of #MAGA rockstars supporting President Trump in Florida💪💪💪 pic.twitter.com/qvUG93nQvR
More endorsements from Florida's 28 representatives are likely to be coming, as the TIME report highlights:
Mills, a freshman member who represents a Central Florida district, will likely soon be accompanied by more of his colleagues. Other GOP Florida House lawmakers have told associates that they will endorse Trump in the coming days or weeks, including Reps. Kat Cammack, Brian Mast, Vern Buchanan, and Greg Steube, according to multiple sources familiar with the matter. None of those legislators returned requests for comment.
Despite having not even declared yet, DeSantis has still managed to earn congressional endorsements, including from Reps. Thomas Massie (R-KY) and Chip Roy (R-TX). He is expected to declare sometime after the Florida legislative session ends in May.
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