Idaho Lawmakers Endorse Trump Ahead of New Hampshire Primary

‘President Trump grew our stagnant economy, restored our military strength, dramatically reduced federal regulations, and strengthened our borders’
Idaho Lawmakers Endorse Trump Ahead of New Hampshire Primary
Sen. Mike Crapo (R-Idaho) arrives at the Capitol Building in Washington, on Sept. 26, 2023. (Anna Moneymaker/Getty Images)
Frank Fang
1/23/2024
Updated:
1/24/2024
0:00

Former President Donald Trump picked up several endorsements on Monday, including two Idaho members of Congress, ahead of New Hampshire’s first-in-the-nation presidential primary on Jan. 23.

Sen. Mike Crapo (R-Idaho) and Rep. Mike Simpson (R-Idaho) announced their endorsement of President Trump on Jan. 22, saying that America was stronger under his leadership compared to what is now under President Joe Biden.

“Today I add my voice to the growing number of people standing behind Donald Trump because we know he will put America and Americans first,” Mr. Crapo said in a statement. “President Trump grew our stagnant economy, restored our military strength, dramatically reduced federal regulations, and strengthened our borders. I stand with Donald Trump and pledge to help him get back to our country’s core values and aspirations.”

“America was stronger, more prosperous, and safer under the leadership of President Trump,” Mr. Simpson said in a statement, adding that President Biden “is fundamentally out-of-touch with the American people.”

“It’s time for the Republican Party to come together so we can defeat Joe Biden in November,” Mr. Simpson urged. “I encourage my fellow Idahoans to participate in the upcoming Presidential Caucus on March 2nd and join me in supporting President Trump.”

All four members of Idaho’s congressional delegation have endorsed President Trump. Sen. Jim Risch (R-Idaho) and Rep. Russ Fulcher (R-Idaho) announced their endorsement of the former president earlier this month.

With Mr. Crapo’s endorsement, President Trump has picked up a total of 27 endorsements from senators.

President Trump is expected to win the New Hampshire primary. According to the latest Trafalgar Group poll, which surveyed 1,084 likely Republican primary voters in New Hampshire from Jan. 19 to Jan. 21, President Trump picked up 58 percent of the support, while former South Carolina governor Nikki Haley garnered 36 percent. About 6 percent of the respondents were undecided.

Other lawmakers who announced their endorsement of the former president on Monday included Reps. Laurel Lee (R-Fla.), Brett Guthrie (R-Ky.), and Nancy Mace (R-S.C.).

‘Time Has Come to Unite’

“I don’t see eye to eye perfectly with any candidate. And until now I’ve stayed out of it. But the time has come to unite behind our nominee,” Ms. Mace wrote in her endorsement. “Donald Trump’s record in his first term should tell every American how vital it is he be returned to office.”
Ms. Mace’s decision marks the latest endorsement from Ms. Haley’s home state. Sen. Tim Scott (R-S.C.) has also chosen to endorse the former president after withdrawing from the 2024 race.
At a rally in New Hampshire on Monday, President Trump thanked CatholicVote, one of the nation’s largest Catholic advocacy groups, for choosing to endorse him.

“It’s time for Catholics across America to rally behind Donald Trump for president,” CatholicVote president Brian Burch said in a statement. “We had four years to watch him. And he delivered. From executive orders, reform on regulations touching abortion, religious liberty, conscience, faith, and families, to wages, jobs, administration appointments, and of course, judges and the Supreme Court.”

More importantly, President Trump is a leader who can push back “against the woke bullies in government, media, corporations, and culture that seek to destroy all that we cherish,” Mr. Burch added.

Tea Party Patriots, a conservative advocacy group, also endorsed the former president on Monday.

“Over the last several weeks, we have polled our grassroots supporters. They made their choice clear: Tea Party Patriots Citizens Fund activists want Donald Trump to be returned to the White House as the nation’s 47th president,” Tea Party Patriots founder Jenny Beth Martin said in a statement. “Our grassroots understand that the American experiment is at risk and that the man most able to save it is Donald Trump.”

In response, President Trump wrote it was “a great honor” in a post on his Truth Social account, thanking Tea Party Patriots for endorsing him.