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Rep. Byron Donalds (R-Fla.) first heard that he had been endorsed by former President Trump when he looked at his phone.
“I got a text message: ‘You’ve been endorsed,’” Donalds told The Hill.
The first-term lawmaker was surprised, but not shocked. He has been a supporter of Trump and has a good relationship with him.
Republican candidates in contested primaries this year have lobbied hard for Trump’s backing, and most who get his blessing have gone on to win the party’s nomination.
But Trump’s endorsements of incumbents have often come without members seeking them, a key indication that he is running up his primary endorsement success rate by putting his stamp of approval on members almost certain to win their races.
Trump touts the success of his endorsement record in Republican primaries, his record serving as a measure of his influence on the party. He recently flaunted his “Perfect Records in Arizona, Kansas, Michigan, and Missouri.”