TALLAHASSEE, Fla. — A quiet lobbying fight between backers of Donald Trump and Ron DeSantis is breaking out over a push from the former president’s supporters to get the Florida GOP to scrap a loyalty oath requirement supported by the governor.
If Trump allies are successful in getting the state Republican Party to vote against DeSantis’ political wishes, some of his supporters are concerned it will send a signal that even Florida Republicans who have been steadfastly loyal to their governor are abandoning his presidential campaign, which continues to trail Trump by significant margins in the polls.
“Right or wrong, it would be viewed as a f— you to DeSantis,” said one prominent Florida Republican.
No state party officials NBC News spoke to knew if there was enough support to rescind the loyalty pledge as lobbying efforts ramp up ahead of a likely Friday vote.
Florida GOP leaders voted this year to require Republican presidential candidates to sign a pledge promising to support the eventual party nominee in order to get on the state’s March 19 primary ballot. That move was viewed by Trump supporters as an attempt to protect DeSantis and go after the former president, who has publicly said he would not sign a pledge to support the GOP’s eventual nominee. The Republican National Committee has a similar requirement for candidates who qualify for its presidential primary debates.
Trump for months has had a commanding lead over the rest of the Republican field, prompting him to skip last month’s first presidential debate in Milwaukee and balk at other party efforts like loyalty pledges under the ingrained belief that he will undoubtedly be the nominee.
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A motion to rescind the Florida GOP’s loyalty pledge is expected to be brought by state Sen. Joe Gruters, according to a source close to the decision. Gruters is a former Florida GOP chairman and longtime Trump supporter who has quarreled with DeSantis in the past. The state senator did not respond to a request for comment Tuesday.
The motion is expected to be made during the party’s quarterly meeting Friday in Orlando. The gathering was scheduled to coincide with the GOP’s annual Statesman’s Dinner, one of the biggest grassroots and fundraising events of the year.
Once the motion is made, a fight between the two factions is likely to play out.
For now, DeSantis supporters including Lt. Gov. Jeanette Nuñez and Florida House Speaker Paul Renner are calling key party leaders to try and whip their votes against passage of a motion that would remove any loyalty oath.
“I can confirm I have been making phone calls,” Renner told NBC News on Tuesday night. “The Republican Party’s purpose is to elect Republicans. I think you can expect those in the party to support the nominee, especially those in party leadership.”
Nuñez did not respond to a request for comment, and DeSantis’ campaign declined to comment.
Those backing Trump, whose campaign also did not respond to a request for comment, are not shying away from the fact they are pushing the state party to revoke its loyalty oath.
“Motion to revoke is guaranteed,” said Lee County Republican Party Chair Michael Thompson, who supports Trump.
Asked if he thought the loyalty pledge was designed to go after Trump, Thompson said, “Of course.” He nicknamed it the “Donald J. Trump rule.”
The rift between Trump and DeSantis supporters has created an awkward position for the Florida GOP. DeSantis is a home state governor who has raised millions for the Florida GOP, and Trump is a Florida resident who won the state during both of his presidential campaigns.
The state party has pledged to stay neutral in the Republican presidential primary.
“The Florida GOP is a grassroots-run organization and the membership from across the state always has the opportunity to bring up, discuss and take action on issues impacting their Republican Party,” said Florida GOP Chairman Christian Ziegler of the expected fight over the loyalty pledge.
As the tensions between the two camps grows, there are some who are working to try and craft compromise language that would allow both Trump and DeSantis to appear victorious. In that scenario, a pledge would remain in place, but the wording would be changed to create some flexibility centered on the idea Republicans might not have to formally endorse the eventual nominee. However, they also wouldn’t be allowed to attack the nominee publicly or campaign against them, under that scenario.
“I’ve been talking to some folks and I think there are conversations today about a compromise,” said one Florida GOP leader. “At the end of the day, the ultimate outcome is to not be fighting.”
Because DeSantis is Florida’s governor, the state party has amplified importance from a perception standpoint, but it’s not the only state-level Republican Party that’s seeing a fight between the two campaigns.
NBC News reported Monday that the two sides are also gearing up for a fight in California over that state party’s new primary rule allowing a potential winner-take-all scenario rather than assigning delegates by congressional district, a setup that allowed candidates to more easily target certain areas rather than fight over the statewide vote.
DeSantis opposes the California GOP’s new approach, which is supported by Trump. NBC News reported last month that pro-DeSantis super PAC Never Back Down cited the rule change when deciding to end door knocking operations in California.
The group has also stopped knocking on doors in Nevada after that state changed its presidential primary system, eliminating caucuses in favor of a traditional state-run primary. The move prompted Never Back Down to call Nevada Republican chairman Michael McDonald a “Trump puppet,” a characterization he denied.
Source: | This article originally belongs to Nbcnews.com
