TULSA, OKLAHOMA — Ron DeSantis appeared over the weekend in Tulsa, Oklahoma’s second-largest city, challenging voters to join him in defending core American principles.
He also received the endorsement of Republican Oklahoma Governor Kevin Stitt – the first governor to support DeSantis formally. Stitt backed former President Trump in the 2020 election.
“I watched what he did [as governor]. He never backs down. He’s a true leader, a true conservative... We need someone who can win,” Stitt told Fox News.
The Sooner State is off the beaten path of the usual presidential campaign trail, but it’s one of more than a dozen states to hold primaries on Super Tuesday, just weeks after the earliest states.
Former President Donald Trump carried Oklahoma in 2016 and 2020 with over 65 percent of the vote. But DeSantis says his record proves he is the next-generation GOP candidate who isn’t afraid to take on the swamp.
DEFENDING CORE AMERICAN PRINCIPLES
Addressing the audience in a shirt drenched with sweat as voters fanned themselves with yard signs, DeSantis said the country needs to get back to the basics.
“Our duty is to preserve what the founders of the country called the sacred fire of liberty,” DeSantis told the packed crowd outside Tulsa.
He cited the Declaration of Independence, the Battle of Gettysburg and the Normandy invasion during World War II as crucial moments when Americans came together during a crisis.
“Our generation now is called upon to carry this torch. It’s not a responsibility we should shy away from,” DeSantis said. “It’s a responsibility we should welcome. We have to stand firm for the truth, and we have to remain resolute in the defense of core American and enduring principles.”
FREEDOM IS ONE GENERATION AWAY FROM EXTINCTION
DeSantis also stopped at a rodeo in Ponca, northwest of Tulsa, greeting the crowd and posing for pictures with his wife, Casey, and his three-year-old daughter, Mamie, who wore a pink cowboy hat.
“Freedom is one generation away from extinction,” he exclaimed in front of stands draped in red, white and blue.
Although he keeps pushing back at Trump on policy, DeSantis continued to slam the case against the former president denouncing “the increasing weaponization of these federal agencies against people they don’t like.”
“On day one, you’ll have a new director of the FBI. We’re going to use our authority to hold people accountable,” DeSantis told the audience as they cheered.
“RELENTLESS IN FIGHTING FOR WHAT’S RIGHT”
Just before DeSantis arrived in Oklahoma, leading conservative and previous Trump-appointed NASA administrator Jim Bridenstine endorsed DeSantis following 20 Oklahoma state legislators who now back Ron DeSantis’ bid for the White House.
“Governor DeSantis and I were classmates in Congress, original members of the Freedom Caucus, and we have worked together on many legislative issues over the years,” Bridenstine said. “Governor DeSantis is highly intellectual, always willing to listen, and relentless in fighting for what’s right. He has always been strong on defense and a great advocate for America’s space program. He will make a great Commander in Chief.”
