Former president Donald Trump is set to begin his final conquest of the Republican Party a week from Monday when the Iowa Caucuses kick off. The twice-impeached-four-times-indicted former president remains the prohibitive favorite, leading his nearest competitors by double digits.
But despite the fact that Mr Trump will almost certainly be the Republican nominee, a majority of Republican senators have not endorsed him. So far, only 18 of the 49 senators in the Republican conference in the Senate have endorsed Mr Trump despite his widespread popularity, according to Business Insider.
Sens Chuck Grassley and Joni Ernst, Iowa’s two Republican senators, have maintained their neutrality in the name of preserving the caucuses.
“I don’t know that I will,” Ms Ernst told The Independent when asked whether she will make an endorsement after the caucuses.
Republicans in the Senate have always had a more contentious relationship with Mr Trump than House Republicans. Despite Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell voting to acquit Mr Trump for his role in the January 6 riot, Mr McConnell squarely blamed the former president’s words. In addition, 139 Republicans in the House voted to object to the election results whereas only eight senators did.
Sen John Kennedy of Louisiana, who was one of only eight senators who voted to object to the 2020 presidential election results, is typically one of the most verbose senators. But when asked whether he endorsed Mr Trump, he said “I don’t have anything for you.”
Sen Mike Rounds of South Dakota also passed on endorsing Mr Trump after Sen Tim Scott of South Carolina suspended his campaign for president. Mr Scott failed to gain traction as many non-Trump Republicans chose to get behind fellow South Carolinian, former governor Nikki Haley.
But Mr Rounds said he would not make any endorsements at the moment.
“I'll wait and see farther down the line, who I think will be the best candidate for the Republican Party,” he told The Independent. “Because as Republicans, I think we feel very strongly that we have to change administrations.”
Conversely, many of the senators Mr Trump endorsed in the 2022 midterm election said they would support him.
“I think it's a foregone conclusion he's gonna be the nominee,” Sen Eric Schmitt of Missouri told The Independent. In 2022, before the Republican primary, Mr Trump ambiguously endorsed “Eric,” since Mr Schmitt and former governor Eric Greitens both were running for the open Senate seat. Mr Schmitt deferred to his colleagues when asked why some Republicans did not endorse Mr Trump
“I'll leave that up to them, but I think there's growing momentum and he's going to be the nominee, he's gonna win,” he said.
Sen Rick Scott of Florida, who is up for re-election this year, elected to support Mr Trump rather than fellow Floridian Governor Ron DeSantis, with whom he has a contentious relationship.
“I think you'd have to ask them,” Mr Scott told The Independent about why his colleagues have not endorsed Mr Trump.
Sen JD Vance of Ohio, whom Mr Trump endorsed in 2022, said many Republicans secretly do not want Mr Trump to be the nominee.
“I think, look, the more depressing answer is that a lot of Senate Republicans actually don't like Donald Trump and I think they're gonna have to get over it because he’s going to be our nominee and he’s going to be our next president,” Mr Vance told The Independent.
Sen Mitt Romney of Utah, who has become Mr Trump’s biggest critic in the Senate, said many Republicans don’t want to be on the losing side of a campaign. He noted how Ms Haley, his closest competitor, has a difficult race ahead of her.
“Because they’re almost certain that he’s going to become the nominee,” Mr Romney told The Independent. “People typically want to go with the person that thinks gonna win. And I think we’ve known from the beginning that he was a prohibitive favorite he still is. I think Nikki Haley has a shot but it’s a long shot.”
Indeed, Mr Scott, Ms Haley’s former competitor, has not endorsed in the GOP primary. Meanwhile, South Carolina’s other Republican Sen Lindsey Graham, who once called Mr Trump “a jackass,” endorsed Mr Trump early.
