(Bloomberg) -- Iowa Governor Kim Reynolds, who endorsed Ron DeSantis in the Republican presidential primary, said that she would back whoever ultimately wins the nomination, even if it is former president Donald Trump.

Asked Wednesday if she would support Trump if he secured the GOP nomination, Reynolds said, “I’m a Republican. Any one of the candidates that we have running will do a better job than the absentee president that we have serving at this point.”

In an exclusive interview for Bloomberg News’ “Big Take DC” podcast premiering Thursday, Reynolds said that “without hesitation” she will work to ensure that a Republican wins the White House in November. She’s been a harsh critic of Trump since the campaign began.

DeSantis’ campaign has been taking a tougher stance toward Trump in the final stretch, where the Florida governor characterizes Trump as too focused on his own troubles instead of voters’ concerns. Having a key surrogate say she’ll back Trump if he prevails is the latest blow to DeSantis’ struggling campaign.

Trump supporters have run ads showing Reynolds praising Trump to dampen her endorsement of DeSantis.

Iowa will hold the first contest of the 2024 presidential election when it holds the Republican caucuses on Monday. 

Reynolds endorsed DeSantis in December, but he has tried to make the case that he’s the best alternative to Trump. Polls show that Trump has a commanding lead in Iowa, with Nikki Haley, a former South Carolina governor and United Nations ambassador, running neck-and-neck with DeSantis in the most recent polls.

“It’s not going to be the polls or the media that’s going to dictate to Iowans who the winner of the Iowa caucus is,” Reynolds said in the interview. “I often tell Iowans if you like what we’ve done here in Iowa, you’re gonna love what Ron DeSantis will do for this country.”

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