- Former President Donald Trump has racked up endorsements from nearly half of the Republican Senate delegation ahead of the Iowa caucus on Monday.
- GOP Sens. Marco Rubio of Florida, James Risch of Idaho, Mike Lee of Utah, Cynthia Lummis of Wyoming, John Barrasso of Wyoming and Tom Cotton of Arkansas have all endorsed Trump in recent weeks.
- “Senators — like most politicians — are more likely to join a parade than start a parade. And they see the Trump parade passing by and don’t want to be the last float in it,” Mark Weaver, a veteran Republican strategist, told the Daily Caller News Foundation.
Former President Donald Trump has racked up endorsements from nearly half of Senate Republicans ahead of Monday’s Iowa caucus, signaling growing consolidation of support for the candidate’s 2024 bid.
Florida GOP Sen. Marco Rubio backed Trump on Sunday, following recent endorsements from Republican Sens. James Risch of Idaho, Mike Lee of Utah, Cynthia Lummis of Wyoming, John Barrasso of Wyoming and Tom Cotton of Arkansas. The former president heads into caucus day with the backing from all of the senators in Alabama, Mississippi, North Dakota, Florida, Wyoming, Missouri and Tennessee.
“The simple answer is that he’s now effectively the establishment, that he’s winning overwhelmingly, and these folks want to be on the right side of the voters back home,” Scott Jennings, a GOP strategist and veteran of numerous campaigns, told the Daily Caller News Foundation. “And endorsing now, at a pivotal moment, engenders goodwill with the most likely nominee and someone who at least has a 50-50 shot of being president.”
Trump maintains a massive lead over the Republican primary field in the RealClearPolitics (RCP) average, with a 34-point lead in Iowa. The former president is also polling ahead of President Joe Biden in national and crucial battleground state surveys.
Iowa voters will pick their Republican presidential nominee Monday evening, where Trump is expected to win by double digits. The final NBC News/Des Moines/Mediacom poll released Saturday found that Trump has 48% support, followed by former U.N. Ambassador Nikki Haley at 20%, Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis at 16% and conservative businessman Vivek Ramaswamy at 8%.
Risch backed Trump on Saturday in an interview with Politico. Lee endorsed the former president on Friday during an appearance with Fox News’ Laura Ingraham just hours after Lummis announced her support on X, formerly Twitter.
“Living in Joe Biden’s America is a disaster,” Lumis said in a statement. “It is clear we need to get our country back on track and the person we need in the White House to fix our nation is Donald Trump.”
Barraso threw his support behind Trump on Jan. 9, telling Fox News’ Sean Hannity that America was “much better off” during the Trump administration. Cotton shared similar sentiment when he endorsed Trump a few days earlier on Jan. 3, arguing that “everything has gone to hell” under Biden’s watch. (RELATED: Trump Secures Endorsements From Both Florida Senators Ahead Of Iowa Caucus)
“Senators — like most politicians — are more likely to join a parade than start a parade. And they see the Trump parade passing by and don’t want to be the last float in it,” Mark Weaver, a veteran Republican strategist, told the DCNF.
WASHINGTON, DC – AUGUST 2: (AFP OUT) U.S. President Donald Trump makes an announcement on the introduction of the Reforming American Immigration for a Strong Economy (RAISE) Act in the Roosevelt Room at the White House. Pictured at left is Sen. Tom Cotton (R-AR).(Zach Gibson – Pool/Getty Images)
Kentucky Republican Sen. Rand Paul, who previously supported both of Trump’s presidential bids, weighed in on the race Friday, but said he isn’t ready to make an endorsement. The senator launched numerous attacks against Haley over her foreign policy positions and more, making it clear that he is “Never Nikki” for president.
In late 2023, Trump secured endorsements from Republican Sens. Roger Marshall of Kansas, Katie Britt of Alabama, Rick Scott of Florida, Kevin Cramer of North Dakota, John Hoeven of North Dakota, Josh Hawley of Missouri and Roger Wicker of Mississippi.
Other Trump-supporting GOP senators that announced their support earlier in the cycle include Cindy Hyde-Smith of Mississippi, Eric Schmitt of Missouri, Tommy Tuberville of Alabama, Marsha Blackburn of Tennessee, Bill Hagerty of Tennessee, Ted Budd of North Carolina, Mike Braun of Indiana, Lindsey Graham of South Carolina, Markwayne Mullin of Oklahoma, J.D. Vance of Ohio and Steve Daines of Montana.
“I am proudly supporting President Trump and have encouraged my colleagues to do the same,” Daines, chairman of the National Republican Senatorial Committee (NRSC), told the DCNF in a statement. “My best four years in Washington were during the Trump Presidency, when we took unprecedented action to secure the border, unleash American energy, and pass tax cuts to make our economy stronger than ever. The Iowa Caucus tonight will begin the process of Making America Great Again!”
Some Republican Senate candidates are also throwing their support behind Trump, including Sam Brown in Nevada and Mike Rogers in Michigan, who were both recruited by the NRSC.
The endorsements come as Senate Republicans are aiming to take back control of the upper chamber in November. Along with Nevada and Michigan, the NRSC is hoping to flip Democratic-held seats in West Virginia, Montana, Ohio, Pennsylvania, Wisconsin and Arizona.
Trump’s campaign did not immediately respond to the DCNF’s request for comment.
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