Now that there’s another GOP presidential hopeful in the race, and a handful of others clearly signaling their intentions, Republican lawmakers are continuing to pick their favorites for their party’s nomination.
We saw two new Republican endorsements on Wednesday: South Carolina Rep. Ralph Norman became former Ambassador Nikki Haley’s first endorsement, while Wyoming Rep. Harriet Hageman officially backed former President Donald Trump.
Hageman’s the 18th Republican House member to declare their support for Trump’s 2024 bid (five senators are also backing him), according to our count.
In other campaign news:
Haley draws fire from her opponents: Trump is welcoming Haley to the field by attacking her on her past support for entitlement cuts, as well as her past praise for the former president, while former Secretary of State Mike Pompeo accused her of leaving the Trump administration too early.
He’s gonna fight for his right to not be a party to this case: After attending an event in Minnesota, former Vice President Mike Pence told reporters he would “fight” a special counsel subpoena as part of the investigation into Trump’s actions surrounding the Jan. 6 attack on the Capitol.
Lee moves closer to Senate bid: California Democratic Rep. Barbara Lee filed paperwork to run for Senate, a move a spokesperson said comes as she prepares to officially announce later this month, per NBC News’ Ali Vitali and Haley Talbot.
Gov. Noem heads to Washington: South Dakota GOP Gov. Kristi Noem spoke in D.C. Wednesday about countering China, saying: “If President Biden will not stand up for freedom and the security of the people, you better believe that I will,” per NBC News’ Julia Jester.
The daily update from DeSantis-land: Florida Republican Gov. Ron DeSantis announced Wednesday his plan for a “Digital Bill of Rights” for Floridians, per NBC News’ Garrett Haake.
Santos for Congress? Embattled Rep. George Santos, R-N.Y., is considering running for re-election, per CNN.
Staying neutral: Iowa GOP Gov. Kim Reynolds plans to stay neutral in her party’s presidential caucuses, Reynolds told the Des Moines Register.
Power struggle in Nevada: The Nevada chapter of the AFL-CIO is backing Assemblywoman Daniele Monroe-Moreno’s challenge to the sitting state Democratic Party chair Judith Whitmer.
