Conservative talk show host Steve Deace endorses Gov. Ron DeSantis

Conservative Iowa commentator Steve Deace formally endorsed Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis on Friday.

“I want to see what happened in your state happen everywhere else,” Deace told DeSantis in an interview. ”And that's why I'm endorsing you for president.”

Deace, who has been heaping praise on DeSantis in recent months, hosts the “Steve Deace Show" on BlazeTV, a conservative media streaming service. He’s been a longtime presence and a leading conservative voice among Iowa Republicans.

It comes at a time when DeSantis is struggling to catch fire in Iowa and across the country despite entering the race with sky-high expectations. In most polling, he trails former President Donald Trump by 20 to 30 percentage points.

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Deace has been a key voice for Iowa's religious right — an important constituency for Republicans competing in the Iowa caucuses. And he has also been an outspoken critic of Trump.

He has focused particularly on the Trump administration’s response to the COVID-19 pandemic, saying it went too far and hurt businesses and individual rights.

DeSantis has made Florida’s response to COVID-19 a pillar of his candidacy, promising to hold accountable the medical professionals and political leaders who advised closing businesses and schools.

“Like so many Iowans, Steve knows the time for excuses is over,” DeSantis tweeted. ”We will get the job done in 2024!”

Deace endorsed Texas U.S. Sen. Ted Cruz in 2015. Cruz went on to win the 2016 Iowa caucuses.

Both DeSantis and Trump are appearing Saturday at the Iowa State Fair.

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Des Moines Register Chief Politics Reporter Brianne Pfannenstiel contributed to this report.

Katie Akin is a politics reporter for the Register. Reach her atkakin@registermedia.com. Follow her on Twitter at @katie_akin.