Former Democratic Palm Beach County mayor endorses Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis' re-election bid
DeSantis touted the endorsement from the Democrat, saying Florida is a 'law and order' state that puts residents' safety first
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Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis collected another endorsement for re-election on Tuesday.
Palm Beach County Commissioner Dave Kerner announced he is planning on backing DeSantis’ bid to return to the governor’s mansion in November.
DEMOCRATIC FLORIDA MAYOR DEFENDS DESANTIS: ‘60 MINUTES SHOULD BE ASHAMED’
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"I’m very proud that you felt that my endorsement was worthy of acceptance," Kerner said during a Palm Beach County Police Benvolent Association meeting. "This was not a difficult choice for me. This was not the proverbial ‘lesser of two evils.'"
DeSantis' campaign announced the endorsement Tuesday afternoon.
"Florida is a law-and-order state because we put the safety of Floridians first and we stand up for law enforcement and reject the Left’s anti-police movement," DeSantis said in a statement. "We are focused on protecting victims and not coddling criminals, and no one knows that better than Dave, who served Florida’s communities. Commissioner Kerner knows first-hand the threat of the Defund the Police movement and understands the important role that our local law enforcement officers play in keeping Florida safe."
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Kerner, a Democrat, was Palm Beach County’s mayor for two terms and is now on the Board of County Commissioners.
Palm Beach County is the third-largest county in the state and one of the remaining blue counties in the state. In 2020, President Biden won 56% of the votes in the county.
Tuesday’s endorsement isn’t the first time the Democrat has made headlines for allying himself with the governor.
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After an explosive "60 Minutes" report that accused DeSantis of engaging in a "pay-for-play" scheme early on in the distribution of COVID-19 vaccines, Kerner said the reporting was "intentionally false."
Kerner’s office did not respond to requests for comment from Fox News Digital.