Republicans who had held off on throwing their support behind former President Donald Trump are now getting off the sidelines after his performance on Super Tuesday all but guaranteed he will be the party’s presidential nominee.
Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-KY) endorsed Trump on Wednesday, making him the highest-ranking Senate Republican to back the former president. The endorsement comes despite the pair not having spoken since Trump left office and even after McConnell partially blamed the former president for the Jan. 6 riot.
“It is abundantly clear that former President Trump has earned the requisite support of Republican voters to be our nominee for President of the United States,” McConnell said in a statement. “It should come as no surprise that as nominee, he will have my support.”
Sen. Joni Ernst (R-IA), the chairwoman of the Republican Policy Committee, also threw her support behind Trump after previously declining to weigh in, securing for Trump endorsements from all members of GOP leadership in the Senate.
“We must beat Joe Biden and get this country back on track,” she said in a statement. “Donald Trump has my support.”
The endorsement comes after Trump won nearly all states that were up for grabs on Super Tuesday, dealing a fatal blow to former U.N. Ambassador Nikki Haley, who suspended her campaign Wednesday morning. The victory cements a rematch against President Joe Biden in November, prompting other Republicans to fall in line and throw their support behind Trump’s candidacy.
“This time tonight, I’ll be supporting President Trump 100%,” said Rep. Ralph Norman (R-SC), the sole congressional Republican from South Carolina to endorse Haley. “It isn’t about politics. It isn’t about Democrats or Republicans. It’s about getting this country back on track.”
Other Republicans echoed similar sentiments, noting that now that the primary is over, the party must unite behind its candidate.
“No question,” Sen. James Lankford (R-OK) said when asked if he would endorse Trump. “I’ve stayed out of primaries, but now that it’s over, it’s over.”
Even vulnerable Republicans are beginning to endorse Trump despite reservations he could be a liability to their tough reelection prospects.
“Our great nation simply cannot afford another four years of the disastrous Biden administration,” Rep. Jen Kiggans (R-VA) said. “I’m supporting President Trump because it is now time to unify as a party, turn our attention to defeating Joe Biden, and strengthen our majority in the House.”
“Those running in competitive races are also tying their campaigns to Trump ahead of the November election, including those seeking to oust Democrats and flip control of the Senate next year,” said Dave McCormick, who is running for Senate in Pennsylvania. “Congratulations to President Trump on his victory. He has my strong endorsement and I look forward to him trouncing Joe Biden in PA and beyond on November 5.”
The endorsement comes as the 2024 cycle enters its general election phase. Recent polling shows a close head-to-head matchup between the two, with each survey alternating between Trump or Biden leading the other.
A recent poll from YouGov/Economist shows Trump leading Biden by 2 percentage points, whereas a similar poll conducted by Morning Consult shows Biden ahead by 1 point.
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Democrats are already seizing on the flood of Republican endorsements, particularly those from vulnerable incumbents — attempting to tie their campaigns to Trump’s “extremism.”
“Vulnerable House Republicans have proven time and again that, no matter what Trump says or does, they’ll always ‘bend the knee’ to support his dangerous extremism,” Courtney Rice, communications director for the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee, said in a statement. “House Republicans’ fealty to Trump and his MAGA agenda of attacking women’s reproductive freedoms, cutting taxes for billionaires instead of middle-class families, and undermining our democracy will cost them the House majority.”