President Donald Trump has thrown his support behind Supervisor Jim Desmond for a North County congressional seat that could be key to determining which party controls Congress.

Trump made his endorsement of Desmond in a social media post Tuesday, telling voters that the county supervisor “WILL NEVER LET YOU DOWN.”

“A Brave U.S. Navy Veteran, Jim knows the Wisdom and Courage required to Defend our Country, Support our incredible Military/Veterans and Ensure PEACE THROUGH STRENGTH,” Trump wrote on social media.

Desmond thanked the president for the endorsement on X, saying Republicans were “going to win this race” and “bring common sense back to California.”

Shortly after the president’s endorsement, House Republican leadership announced their support for Desmond, including House Speaker Mike Johnson.

Desmond is running against a crowded field of Democrats in the 48th Congressional District, made newly competitive for Democrats under congressional maps redrawn by the state Legislature and backed by voters last fall.

The new district encompasses most of North County and stretches up through Riverside County into Palm Springs.

Desmond jumped into the race after longtime Republican Rep. Darrell Issa declined to seek reelection last month amid uncertainty over whether he would be successful in a competitive race.

Desmond brings to the race a deep resume as an elected official in North County for decades, including as county supervisor since 2018 and previously as San Marcos mayor.

On the Democratic side, multiple candidates are locked into a primary fight as they look to be among the two who advance past June’s primary.

The Democrats who have raised the most money in the race are former congressional candidate Ammar Campa-Najjar, Palm Springs economist Brandon Riker and San Diego City Council member Marni von Wilpert.

Following Trump’s endorsement, Democrats seized on the chance to tie Desmond to the president.

“It’s like Darrell Issa never left, just another rubber stamp,” Campa-Najjar wrote on social media, calling Desmond’s backing from top Republicans a “kiss of death.”

In a statement, von Wilpert said that “a vote for Jim Desmond is a vote for more of Trump’s chaos, corruption and rising costs.”