What do you do if you’re a Republican candidate running in a primary where President Donald Trump has endorsed your opponent? In today’s GOP, the answer is increasingly to pretend that Trump is with you anyway.
In Louisiana’s GOP Senate primary, Trump backed Rep. Julia Letlow over Sen. Bill Cassidy. That hasn’t stopped Cassidy from running an ad touting his work with Trump in passing the HALT Fentanyl Act.
“President Trump said it was the most important legislation he would sign this year,” Cassidy says in the ad.
Cassidy is also airing an ad tying himself to Trump’s signature legislative achievement, with “Trump & Cassidy” flashing across the screen as voters talk about the reconciliation package.
In Kentucky’s 4th District, Trump is endorsing Ed Gallrein over GOP Rep. Thomas Massie. Massie is one of Trump’s most frequent GOP antagonists, from the Jeffrey Epstein files to foreign policy.
But Massie’s campaign is running ads that open with an old picture of Massie and Trump grinning side by side, both flashing thumbs up.
Facing reality. The trend is an acknowledgment that Trump’s endorsement is the most valuable currency in GOP primaries. There’s no use fighting against that, which leads to these ads.
While Trump hasn’t endorsed in the Texas Senate race, Sen. John Cornyn (R-Texas) is also nevertheless tying himself closely to the president.
One ad from Cornyn’s camp features a picture of Trump next to Cornyn, both with their thumbs up. The ad also plays a short clip from a rally where Trump says he’s grateful for Cornyn.
Cornyn’s example isn’t as far a stretch as Cassidy and Massie, given Trump hasn’t backed Ken Paxton in the race.
