Former Democratic Mayor of Palm Beach County David Kerner endorsed Republican Governor Ron DeSantis for reelection at a campaign stop in West Palm Beach on Tuesday.
Kerner, who currently serves as County Commissioner in Palm Beach, vowed to campaign for the Governor daily up to election day.
"Every day until November 8, I will campaign for Governor DeSantis and on November 8, I will vote for Governor DeSantis," Kerner said. "And today, I proudly endorse Governor Ron DeSantis for re-election as the Governor of the great state of Florida.”
He added: “As an aside, Governor, I am very proud that you felt that my endorsement was worthy of acceptance. And I’m so delighted that we’ve had this opportunity to be here in public with the community to make it official."
Kerner continued:"This was not a difficult choice for me. This was not the proverbial lesser of two evils. Governor DeSantis has demonstrated himself beyond worthy of the humbling duties of this office. And he has done so with the level of dignity, purpose, and respect that is lost in the public sphere today. It may come as a shock to many of you, or at least many of my friends that as a Democratic elected officer in deep blue Palm Beach County, I’m endorsing Republican governor.”
"Endorsing Gov. @RonDeSantisFL was the obvious choice this election cycle. Gov. DeSantis' Dem opponent has called for reallocation of resources away from law enforcement. FL cannot afford people like Charlie Crist who wants to defund the police & make our communities less safe," said Kerner in a tweet Wednesday afternoon.
"But I will not remain silent. There is too much on the line in this election,” Kerner said in conclusion. "The governor’s Democratic opponent has already started talking about reallocation, which to me, by the way, is a code word for taking resources away from the men and women that protect us. It’s a code word for defunding the police. Florida is a proud state, one with a deep history. The beauty of our state is represented in the diversity of our environment and the diversity of our people. But no doubt we are a state on the rise. And I give a lot of credit to our governor for the trajectory of our state."
Gov. DeSantis responded to Kerner's endorsement in a separate tweet, saying, "In Florida, we support law enforcement, reject the anti-police movement, and focus on justice for victims — not coddling criminals. Democrat and former police officer @DavidMKerner stands for the rule of law. Thankful to receive his endorsement today in West Palm Beach!"
In November DeSantis will face Democratic Gubernatorial challenger Charlie Crist, who previously served in the United States House representing Florida's 13th Congressional district. Crist also served as Governor of Florida for one term between 2011 and 2017.
