NH state rep flips endorsement to Trump, says DeSantis has no ‘charisma’

A New Hampshire state representative who had initially been in support of Governor Ron DeSantis (R-FL) has now switched to supporting former President Donald Trump. This came after the governor’s rocky campaign announcement over Twitter on Wednesday night, which featured glitches and lacked president-worthy energy, per the New York Post.

Rep. Sandra Panek, who was involved in the pro-DeSantis Never Back Down super PAC that included more than 50 New Hampshire lawmakers, has now bailed on the Florida governor, saying that the 2024 presidential election has too much at stake to put confidence in a candidate that is incapable of getting his campaign off the ground.

Panek published a statement, which was then shared by former President Donald Trump, saying: “After being less than impressed with Ron DeSantis’s official announcement last night, I am hereby switching my endorsement to President Donald J. Trump.”

“We can’t expect someone to run the country if they can’t properly run their own campaign launch. The stakes are simply too great in 2024 to take a chance on someone as unreliable as DeSantis — we need a proven winner like President Trump to take back the White House and Make America Great Again!”

Panek also mentioned that she attempted to listen with her iPad, but it appears that the Twitter Space where DeSantis spoke was not available to iPad users, saying that “not one TV news outlet could report on it. This was a miserable launch. Too much stumbling and bumbling.”

Aside from the rocky campaign launch, Panek also said that DeSantis lacked the charisma necessary to make a meaningful run for the presidency, saying: “With DeSantis, you’re getting Trump without the charisma. I want the real deal.”

“The rollout campaign launch was too chaotic. Not well thought out,” Panek said. “Trump has the experience and a proven track record. DeSantis is not quite ready.”

The Post reported that Panek’s sudden switch comes after colleague New Hampshire state Rep. Juliet Harvey-Bolia, abandoned her “dual endorsement” of Trump and DeSantis to go all-in with the former GOP president.

Harvey Bolia posted to Twitter: “I’m proud to announce my full endorsement for President Trump, and only Trump. He’ll keep us out of war and prosperous as he has in the past. Ron DeSantis will make a great candidate in 2028. I expect Republicans will unite behind President Trump.”

A recent poll has suggested that Trump’s polling numbers are double that of DeSantis, with 65 percent of American voters convinced that President Joe Biden is too old to continue running the country.