(IntegrityTimes.com) – Former President Trump is backing Senate Republicans in putting pressure on two incumbent Democratic senators – John Tester for Montana and Sherrod Brown for Ohio – in the GOP’s attempts to win back a Senate majority.
South Carolina Senator Lindsey Graham recently pressed the former president to help Senate Republicans “hammer” Tester and Brown. The Republicans only need to defeat one of the Democrat senators in addition to West Virginia Governor Jim Justice’s predicted win for the GOP in November to secure the upper chamber.
Republican South Dakota Senator John Thune said that candidates Tim Sheehy and Bernie Moreno, who are competing against Tester and Brown respectively, had “all of a sudden” become huge Trump fans in their respective states recently. The former president endorsed Sheehy in the battleground race and called him an “American hero” in February. Thune added that the GOP wanted Trump to directly “correct the record” to voters. Sheehy and Moreno are in for a tough fight, however, due to both incumbent senators being battle-tested lawmakers who have already survived reelection battles.
The red-state incumbent Democratic senators do not have it easy either; following Trump’s conviction on all 34 counts in his hush-money criminal trial in Manhattan, Tester and Brown risk angering both Trump voters, who they are reliant on for re-election, and Democrats, who could be turned off by the senators not taking a strong enough stance against the former president.
Brown stated pragmatically that he is not a judge but does not believe anyone is above the law. He stressed that the outcome was ultimately in the hands of the legal system and voters in November. Tester’s spokesperson made a statement along the same lines, stressing that the senator “respects the judicial process” and fair treatment, adding that voters will have their say in November. Nevada Senator Jacky Rosen and Wisconsin Senator Tammy Baldwin, both Democrats, also deferred to voters.
Trump has already confused conservatives and loyalists by appearing to back moderates over more right-leaning candidates. He has endorsed Virginia State Senator John McGuire over House Freedom Caucus Chairman Bob Good. The move highlights how unforgiving Trump is of those who stood against him previously regardless of how much they align with the MAGA movement. Good previously endorsed Florida Governor Ron DeSantis in his primary campaign against Trump. The former president’s choices raised concerns among House Freedom Caucus Republicans that he is backing those who would support the status quo rather than more hardline conservatives.
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