Former President Donald Trump is running circles around his rivals in the race for endorsements in the 2024 GOP presidential race.
Mr. Trump has won the support of over 150 Republican members of Congress, governors and other state leaders, according to a running tally from fivethirtyeight.com.
Gov. Ron DeSantis of Florida, meanwhile, has 17 Republicans backing him and former U.S. Ambassador to the U.N. Nikki Haley has a trio of Republicans in her corner.
Sen. Tom Cotton of Arkansas jumped on the Trump bandwagon Wednesday along with House Majority Whip Tom Emmer and three other GOP members of Minnesota’s congressional delegation.
“When Donald Trump was president, America was safe, strong, and prosperous,” Mr. Cotton told Fox News Digital. “With Joe Biden as president, everything has gone to hell: families can’t afford groceries, our border is wide open to a full-blown invasion, and our enemies are starting wars everywhere.”
Mr. Emmer’s endorsement means the top five House Republicans — Speaker Mike Johnson, Majority Leader Steve Scalise, GOP Conference Chair Elise Stefanik and Rep. Richard Hudson, chair of the National Republican Congressional Committee — are backing the ex-president.
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The Emmer endorsement is notable.
It came months after Mr. Trump came out against Mr. Emmer’s bid to become speaker of the House. Mr. Trump warned his supporters on social media that handing the gavel to Mr. Emmer would be a “tragic mistake.”
At the time, Mr. Trump said Mr. Emmer was “totally out of touch” with GOP voters and a “globalist RINO.”
When endorsing Mr. Trump, Mr. Emmer said Democrats “have made clear they will use every tool in their arsenal to try and keep Joe Biden and his failed policies in power.”
“We cannot let them,” he said. “It’s time for Republicans to unite behind our party’s clear front-runner, which is why I am proud to endorse Donald J. Trump for president.”
The broad support for Mr. Trump among GOP leaders dovetails with polls that show he is the prohibitive favorite to win the party’s presidential nod.
And it is another sign Republicans are willing to roll the dice with Mr. Trump despite a series of legal challenges that threaten to land him behind bars.
Mr. Trump’s chief rivals — Mr. DeSantis and Ms. Haley — do have some endorsement bragging rights.
Mr. DeSantis has the support of Iowa Gov. Kim Reynolds and Ms. Haley won the backing of New Hampshire Gov. Chris Sununu.
But Ms. Haley has not won a single major party endorsement since Mr. Sununu joined her team on Dec. 12, and Mr. DeSantis’ endorsements also have gone dry since Ms. Reynolds backed him on Nov. 6, according to fivethirtyeight.com.
Republicans, meanwhile, have been flocking to Mr. Trump.
More than 30 Republicans have rallied behind the Trump campaign since the beginning of December.
• Seth McLaughlin can be reached at smclaughlin@washingtontimes.com.
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