Former Trump campaign manager Corey Lewandowski announced Tuesday he won’t run for a U.S. Senate seat in New Hampshire, dealing a blow to the president’s hopes of flipping the seat in 2020.
Mr. Lewandowski said on Twitter that “after much consideration I have decided to forgo a campaign for the US Senate.”
“While taking on a career politician from the Washington swamp is a tall order, I am certain I would have won,” he said. “My priorities remain my family and ensuring that @realDonaldTrump is re-elected POTUS.”
Democrat Jeanne Shaheen, 72, is running for reelection to a third term in New Hampshire. President Trump had been urging Mr. Lewandowski to run, even taking him and his family on Air Force One on a recent trip to the state.
In October, Mr. Lewandowski told a local radio station that he was reconsidering a Senate run in order to defend the president from impeachment and to help him get reelected.
“As much as I think I would be a great fighter for the people of New Hampshire, and one U.S. senator can make a difference, it is my priority to make sure the president of United States is reelected,” he said at the time.Mr. Lewandowski said he was “truly humbled by the outpouring of support I have received from people across New Hampshire and the country.”
He said the state “needs a US Senator who will put our citizens first and not illegal aliens; one who will support pro-growth policies to keep the Trump economy strong; One who will support strict constitutionalist judges; and one who will fight for our values, not those of Washington, DC.”
“Accordingly, I will be making an endorsement in the Republican Primary for US Senate in the near future to ensure we defeat Jeanne Shaheen in 2020,” he said.
• Dave Boyer can be reached at dboyer@washingtontimes.com.
Please read our comment policy before commenting.