As the party’s nominee, former president Donald Trump has the support of GOP Sen. John Thune, the second-ranking Republican in the Senate, his office confirmed to the media. The support from the Republican from South Dakota, who has opposed Trump, is the most recent proof of the former president’s hold on the party as he advances quickly for the nomination.
Following Trump’s victory in the South Carolina primary on Saturday, Thune’s voiced doubts over the former president’s viability as a general election contender, and his affiliation with the party’s establishment wing makes it more noteworthy. Thune and Trump had a phone conversation. After the primary was announced on Saturday night, the senator informed Trump that he would be supporting him, a person with knowledge of the matter told the media.
John Thune Had Declared He Would Back The Final Nominee Of The Republican Party
The endorsement was initially reported by Fox News. Thune, the senior deputy to Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell and a possible successor to the Kentucky Republican had supported Sen. Tim Scott in the presidential contest before the South Carolina senator’s withdrawal in November.
Last month, John Thune declared that he would back the final nominee of the Republican Party. However, several party members expressed reservations about the former president’s potential influence on contests farther down the ballot as the GOP tries to retake the Senate. “I’ve always been worried” about Trump’s chances of winning the general election, John Thune said to CNN last month.
At the time, he declared, “General elections are won in the middle of the electorate.” “All of it has implications for Senate elections as well. We need to do well at the top of the ticket and have some success down the ballot if we are to win the majority. Senate Republicans have taken longer to support Trump than House GOP leadership.
