In late April, Juliet Harvey-Bolia, a Republican state representative from New Hampshire, was one of dozens of elected officials whose endorsement former President Donald Trump announced at a packed rally in Manchester.
On Tuesday, officials at Never Back Down, the super PAC that backs Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis, said Harvey-Bolia is lending his support to his man. She is one of four lawmakers from New Hampshire, the others being Reps. Brian Cole, Lisa Smart and Debra DiSimone, whom Never Back Down identified as moving from Trump to DeSantis as he featured endorsements from 51 lawmakers in the state who they signed a commitment to return DeSantis.
But that’s not how Harvey-Bolia sees it.
“I am supporting both of them,” he said in a telephone interview. «DeSantis has a lot of promise for the future, and Trump is great now.»
The unusual dual endorsements added an intriguing twist as DeSantis is trying to show he’s gaining momentum as he gets closer to making his offer official. Last week, his super PAC revealed the endorsement of 37 Iowa lawmakers just before he began a three-city tour of the state.
And NBC News confirmed Tuesday that it has called its top donors to meetings in Miami on May 25 in conjunction with the highly anticipated launch of its campaign.
DeSantis’ team expects more than 100 donors and other supporters to attend a briefing with him and his senior team, a person familiar with the plans said.
But the Harvey-Bolia ambivalence also points to an intense behind-the-scenes battle for endorsements, and immense pressure on lawmakers to avoid making an enemy of the eventual nominee, as Trump and DeSantis compete for the job. The three other New Hampshire Republicans who endorsed Trump in April and DeSantis on Tuesday did not return calls seeking comment for this story.
Still, DeSantis’s allies say there is enthusiasm for him in early-voting states and those holding primaries later in the calendar next year. Iowa and New Hampshire are of great importance in the fight for the Republican nomination because their caucuses and primaries are the first two races.
“I think what you saw in Iowa over the weekend gives you an idea that those legislative endorsements are indicative of what we’re seeing and feeling on the ground,” said a Never Back Down strategist who spoke on condition of anonymity to discuss political machinations. «And I think what you’re seeing and feeling in New Hampshire is going to be very similar.»
DeSantis, whose poll numbers have stagnated in recent months, has an uphill battle to supplant Trump, the two-time GOP nominee, as the party’s standard-bearer. In it RealClearPolitics average of national polls, Trump stands at 55% and DeSantis at 21%. Public polls of Iowa caucus attendees and New Hampshire voters show Trump leading in every state.
DeSantis’s allies say the endorsements in Iowa and New Hampshire are just the beginning of his effort to close the gap and win the nomination.
“This is about building a movement,” said the Never Back Down strategist. “This is about building an organization to win. So this is just one step in the process. It’s not the end game.»