Florida Governor Ron DeSantis scored two high-profile endorsements this week from Republicans in Iowa ahead of his expected 2024 presidential campaign.

The endorsements from Senate President Amy Sinclair and House Majority Leader Matt Windschitl come as DeSantis is scheduled to appear at two events in the first-in-the-nation caucus state over the weekend.

Sinclair, who is the top Republican woman in Iowa’s legislature, praised DeSantis in an interview with the Des Moines Register, saying that the 44-year-old governor was “head and shoulders” above the other Republican contenders.

“He’s proven that he can do this work,” she said. “He’s proven that he can get reelected and can continue to do that work even in the face of opposition. And I can’t think of a better person to serve as our president and really, honestly move America forward.”

The Register reported that Windschitl, a Marine veteran and hardcore Second Amendment advocate, said that DeSantis was a leader who is focused on the future instead of the past.

“We need a leader that’s looking forward towards the future, not a leader that’s looking in the rearview mirror and potentially going to be vindictive towards other people,” he told the newspaper. “We need somebody that’s accountable to the people that has proven in their state that they can do this job and take that same prosperity and spread it throughout America.”

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DeSantis picked up another key endorsement last week in New Hampshire from House Majority Leader Rep. Jason Osborne (R-Auburn).

“As the 2024 presidential primary begins in New Hampshire, Republicans are looking for a strong, capable challenger for Joe Biden who can win and lead our country forward,” said Osborne. “Governor Ron DeSantis of Florida is emerging as a top contender, and for good reason. With his drive, energy, and proven record of success, I believe DeSantis is exactly the leader America needs today.”

Sen. Joe Manchin (D-WV) slammed President Joe Biden on Thursday ahead of Title 42’s expiration, which is expected to worsen an already dire situation on the U.S.-Mexico border.

U.S. officials expect to see a flood of up to 13,000 illegal aliens trying to enter the U.S. every day now that the pandemic-era rule has expired, a historic number that adds to the already overwhelming thousands of illegal aliens that choose to break America’s law each day.

“We are one day from the end of Title 42 and still the Biden Administration has no viable solution to prevent an unmanageable surge of migrants at our southern border,” Manchin said. “There are multiple common sense solutions to this crisis, including my bipartisan bill that would give the Administration a two-year temporary expulsion authority for migrants attempting to illegally enter the U.S. without inspection or proper documentation.”

“While I do not support every provision, Republicans in the House of Representatives are at least working on a border security bill to fill the leadership vacuum created by this Administration,” he continued. “Our country cannot maintain our superpower status if we cannot control our own border.”

NEW: Stunning footage from our drone team shows an enormous amount of clothing & trash dumped by migrants at the edge of the river after they cross illegally into Brownsville in this spot. Mixed in, you will find IDs/paperwork from around the world, & Mexican humanitarian visas. pic.twitter.com/UnEwPK62Ni

— Bill Melugin (@BillFOXLA) May 11, 2023

Manchin’s comments come as a report this week from Axios said that he could be preparing to launch a “third-party presidential bid” in 2024 for the White House based on some of his recent actions.

The outlet reported that Manchin, 75, told business leaders this week in Iowa — which is no longer the first state in the Democratic Party’s nomination process — that his politics are “fiscally responsible and socially compassionate.”

The report said that Manchin appealed to Democrat voters in the state by taking a different stance than many Democrats, saying: “I believe the government should be your partner. I’m not your provider.”

The report said that his remarks came as he has increasingly opposed elements of President Joe Biden’s agenda and said in a statement this week that he will oppose all of Biden’s EPA nominees due to their “radical climate agenda” and “their government overreach.”

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While Manchin did not say he was leaving the party, and he faces a potential battle to keep his seat in West Virginia due in large part to how unpopular Biden is in the state, he said his “main concern” was trying to figure out: “How do we save this nation? How do we bring people together to protect the quality of life, the values that we’ve had that we were raised with?”

“You have got to fight for the reasonable, responsible middle and no one is doing that,” he said. “There’s no options.”