Republican Sen. Josh Hawley of Missouri predicts that former President Donald Trump will ultimately be the GOP nominee for president, but has not yet given a full endorsement in the primary campaign. “No offense to anybody else who’s running, but I just said I don’t think the primary is a real contest. I think he’s going to be the nominee, and I will absolutely support him against the current president,” Hawley stated.
This is a consistent narrative on Capitol Hill, as many Republicans who supported Trump in his previous presidential campaigns believe he has already clinched the GOP nomination, given his commanding lead in the polls, and do not feel the need to endorse him at this point.
Currently, only 13 of the 49 Republican senators on Capitol Hill have officially endorsed Trump, including Sens. Tommy Tuberville of Alabama, Lindsey Graham of South Carolina, and Rick Scott of Florida. Others such as Florida Sen. Marco Rubio, Sen. Ron Johnson of Wisconsin, and Sen. John Kennedy of Louisiana, have not announced any endorsements yet.
On the other hand, some senators like Montana Sen. Steve Daines and Sen. J.D. Vance of Ohio have been vocal in their support for Trump, lobbying for more support from their colleagues, asserting that the primaries are effectively over even before the voting begins.
While no votes have been cast yet in the GOP presidential primaries, the Iowa caucuses, the first contest of the 2024 primary calendar, are set to take place on Jan. 15. However, certain senators such as Senator Chuck Grassley of Iowa, will not be endorsing any candidates before the caucuses.
Additionally, there are still several Republican senators who are considering other potential nominees such as Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis, former Ambassador to the U.N. Nikki Haley, entrepreneur Vivek Ramaswamy, former New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie, and North Dakota Gov. Doug Burgum. Some senators, including Utah’s Mitt Romney, are hoping for a nominee other than former President Trump.
Overall, the GOP’s stance on endorsements for the 2024 primary campaign remains somewhat uncertain, with a lot of focus on the potential nominees and their future campaigns.
