John Bolton contributes $100,000 to ‘national security’ candidates in House and Senate

The safety of the nation is never far from the mind of former U.N. Ambassador John Bolton, who says he intends to ensure that Americans elect officials who will vote for a strong national defense. Mr. Bolton announced Thursday that he had contributed $100,000 through his political action committee to the re-election campaigns of 14 lawmakers who fit the bill, plus three candidates for the U.S. Senate.

“These individuals have a proven track record of fighting for strong national security and smart foreign policy positions that protect America’s interests abroad,” Mr. Bolton said.

The list includes Sen. James Lankford plus Reps. French Hill, Trent Franks, Ed Royce, Dana Rohrabacher, Darrell Issa, Duncan Hunter, Mario Diaz-Balart, Carlos Curbelo, Ileana Ros-Lehtinen, David Young, Steve King, Adam Kinzinger and Steve Russell. U.S. Senate candidates Todd Young, Richard Douglas and Wendy Long also benefit. All represent “national security candidates” — a political genre Mr. Bolton has supported for years.

With these contributions, the John Bolton PAC has endorsed 37 candidates and contributed nearly $290,000 collectively to maintain the House and Senate majorities in 2016.

“It is of the utmost importance that we keep these majorities intact for our next Republican president,” Mr. Bolton said.

In January, he reported that 66,000 donors sent in $7 million last year to the political action committees he founded and that the outreach is on track to raise $21 million for the 2016 election cycle. The generosity, he said, was “a testament to citizens’ overwhelming desire for strong national security policies.”