President Donald Trump has endorsed several Republican candidates who have publicly broken with him on key issues, prioritizing party unity as the GOP fights to maintain control of Congress in Tuesday’s midterm elections. Trump recently issued a "complete and total endorsement" for Representative Lauren Boebert of Colorado, months after disparaging her and threatening to pull his support during a dispute involving GOP Representative Thomas Massie of Kentucky and files related to the late Jeffrey Epstein. In Florida, Representative Maria Elvira Salazar has maintained Trump’s endorsement despite her public criticism of his immigration policies.
In Iowa, Republican Senate nominee Ashley Hinson has similarly positioned herself as willing to challenge the administration on issues that affect voters in her state. The president's endorsements highlight a strategic posture by Trump as Republicans face significant political headwinds. Historically, the president’s party loses seats in Congress during the midterms when his approval is low, and Trump’s approval has reached record lows in recent surveys.
Issues like the economy, the cost of living and soaring gas prices amid the Iran war have driven the slip in his approval. Control of the Senate remains a primary focal point. Republicans currently hold a 53-47 majority and are defending 22 of the 35 seats up for election.
To seize control, Democrats must retain all 13 of their seats on the ballot and gain four seats currently held by Republicans. Newsweek reached out to the White House, Boebert, Hinson and Salazar, as well as political analysts by email Sunday for comment. On Friday, Trump called Boebert an “America First Patriot” and a “MAGA Warrior” who was “doing an incredible job representing Colorado’s 4th Congressional District.” He added: “Lauren Boebert has my Complete and Total Endorsement for Re-Election.
GET OUT AND VOTE FOR LAUREN — SHE WILL NEVER LET YOU DOWN!” The president's endorsement of Boebert marks a turnaround from their dispute earlier this year when he called the congresswoman "dumb" and threatened to withdraw his support amid tensions over her campaigning for Massie, a leading critic of the administration's handling of Epstein-related records who was fighting a Trump-backed primary challenger. Massie ultimately lost his reelection campaign. Boebert had supported efforts with Massie to force further disclosure of government records connected with Epstein, a convicted sex offender, putting her at odds with Trump during the dispute.
In a Friday afternoon X post, the congresswoman wrote that she "just finished a FANTASTIC Tele Rally with President Trump!" adding, "We’re going to win on Tuesday and SAVE AMERICA!" As of October 23, Cook Political Report has Colorado's 4th Congressional District race classified as "Lean Republican" after it was previously listed as "Solid Republican." Salazar, who is seeking reelection in Florida's 27th Congressional District, has also publicly challenged Trump over a signature administration issue. In September, the congresswoman broke with Trump over his immigration enforcement policies, saying in a campaign advertisement that the administration had gone "too far." "Be careful about what your advisers are telling you about immigration policies," Salazar said. "The same Hispanics who helped you get to the White House in 2024 feel betrayed today." Trump responded at the time to Salazar's ad with criticism but stopped short of withdrawing support.
Extract — continue reading at the source.
