Former President Donald Trump’s endorsement is often regarded as the golden ticket to the Republican nomination by Republican candidates.
However, at least one prominent Republican considering a run in a competitive state has privately expressed his belief that the former president’s endorsement is overstated.
Ohio Secretary of State Frank LaRose, a likely candidate to replace Democratic Sen. Sherrod Brown, reportedly told a group of Ohio Republicans at a closed-door campaign event that while Trump’s endorsement “matters,” it no longer carries the same weight it once did. He estimated that only 20% of Republican voters would “vote for whoever” Trump favours.
“Another 20% care about who he endorses, but that isn’t going to be the deciding factor.” “And then there’s probably another 60% of the party that doesn’t care who he endorses,” LaRose stated, according to an audio recording of his remarks obtained by AWN.
LaRose believes that if he enters the campaign, he will receive Trump’s endorsement. But he didn’t think “begging for it” would be effective.
“Some people also play this game where they hire a bunch of former Trump people and then think, ‘Oh, if I hire this person, I’ll get their endorsement.'” “The president is generally smarter than that; he’s not going to fall for that,” LaRose remarked in late April at a Cuyahoga Valley Republicans gathering. “He’ll support the candidate who has the best chance of defeating Sherrod Brown.”
LaRose is considering running in the Republican primary to replace Brown in the Ohio Senate election in 2024. Brown is running for a fourth term, but he is widely seen as one of the more vulnerable Democrats this election season. For the Republicans, moderate Ohio state Sen. Matt Dolan and Cleveland businessman Bernie Moreno have already declared their candidature.
Trump has not backed anyone in the race. He did, however, openly encourage Moreno to run, as her daughter is married to former Trump White House employee and rookie Rep. Max Miller (R-Ohio).
The tape provides unique insight into how senior Republicans running for office privately see Trump and the influence he wields within the party. It also gives a glimpse into how political wooing works. In private, LaRose stated that he believes Miller, whom he refers to as a personal friend, is attempting to help his father-in-law gain Trump’s support.
“Max has been going down to Mar-a-Lago and saying, ‘Hey, Mr. Trump, President Trump, can you endorse my father in law?'” “Notice how [Trump] did not endorse him, but he did say nice things about him,” LaRose says in the recording.
“Knowing how this works,” he added, “I can even picture them sitting in the president’s office in Mar-a-Lago and he says, ‘You know, I’m not ready to endorse yet, you got a lot more time, you don’t have strong name ID, you haven’t raised any money yet, I’ll just say some nice things about your father in law on Twitter or Truth Social or whatever and then let’s talk about an endorsement six months from now.”
LaRose did not respond. A source close to LaRose, who requested anonymity to speak about the secretary’s remarks, said he “simply said what we already know.”
“Endorsements are great, but a list of endorsements will not unseat a 48-year incumbent politician.” We need a candidate who can win, and we need to hold an idea and vision contest that unites not only the whole Republican Party, but also a majority of Ohioans. “If he runs, that’s all he’ll offer,” the source claimed.
A person close to Moreno, who also requested anonymity, questioned LaRose’s portrayal of Miller pressing Trump, pointing out that Moreno has his own relationship with Trump.
Few, if any, Republican candidates would openly dismiss Trump’s endorsement. At the GOP event, he stated that the 2022 midterm elections demonstrated that Trump’s endorsement no longer carries the same weight it once did.
“As an example, there is a new U.S. senator from Alabama, which is a fairly conservative state.” She won the primary in ’22 despite not having Trump’s support. “She was the superior candidate,” LaRose stated. “Because the candidate Trump endorsed turned out to be a dud, Katie Britt won the primary and was elected as the United States Senator from Alabama.” So, even in ’22, it’s entirely possible that the best candidate, regardless of endorsement, will win.” Before the Senate primary runoff, Trump endorsed Britt.
Trump endorsed LaRose in his bid for Ohio Secretary of State in 2022. It was notable at the time because, in the aftermath of the Jan. 6 riots on Capitol Hill and Trump and his allies’ attempts to overturn the 2020 election results, LaRose chastised lawmakers who shared conspiracy theories about voting, calling it “irresponsible to fearmonger about elections administration.”
“And certainly, if you have the largest loudhailer in the world, you should think very carefully before saying something that would cause people to lose faith in elections,” he continued.
For his part, LaRose has not endorsed Trump’s current presidential campaign. Neither he nor Dolan have stated who they will back. Moreno is the only contender who has so far endorsed Trump.
Trump has told associates that he is less concerned about endorsing other candidates when he is running for president himself. He has been making phone calls and engaging with state leaders in an effort to gain his own endorsements.
