Last week, political figure Roger Stone made headlines when he directed verbal jabs at Florida Governor Ron DeSantis (R) and his rumored 2024 presidential run. This week, the former political consultant to President Donald Trump (R) has just signed on to work for congressional candidate Martin Hyde (R), who’s been a vocal critic of the former president.
Hyde, who’s challenging Florida Rep. Vern Buchanan (R) for his congressional seat, has called Trump “wretched” in the past, and his partnership with Stone in the upcoming 2022 midterm election is sure to raise eyebrows in the GOP and in Trump as the former president gears up to hit the campaign trail on behalf of “MAGA” candidates.
Stone has accepted a position on the Hyde campaign, and he will be serving as a political consultant for Hyde. This raises questions regarding his friendship with the president after President Trump pardoned the controversial political figure. Hyde, who’s vying to become a Florida congressman, once penned a letter to the Herald Tribune, calling President Trump “wretched” and expressing that he was “horrified” at the “bigotry and bullying” that supporters of President Trump expressed.
Moreover, Stone isn’t the only “MAGA” figure that has endorsed Hyde.
Former national security advisor to President Trump and General Michael Flynn has also endorsed Hyde’s candidacy. Like Stone, General Flynn was also pardoned by the President.
President Trump has not directly commented on Stone’s appointment or on the endorsements, but the President has vowed to help “pro-Trump” candidates win in the upcoming midterm election.
Stone, a longtime friend of the President, also threatened Governor DeSantis with challenging him as a libertarian gubernatorial candidate should DeSantis not pledge to not run for president in 2024.
While the endorsements have surprised many political pundits, it’s a development in the shifting political climate ahead of a midterm election that will expand Republican or Democrat control in the political arena.
Hyde faced recent controversy when he was accused of directing racist remarks towards Puerto Rican tennis players.
