Donald Trump has received just over a dozen endorsements from current and incoming members of Congress in the month since he announced his campaign. Missing from that list? House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy.
McCarthy, a staunch Trump ally despite initially criticizing Trump after the Jan. 6, 2021 attack on the Capitol, dodged a question Wednesday about whether he’ll endorse Trump for president.
“We haven’t talked about that yet,” McCarthy said at a Wednesday press conference. “But one thing I do know: If we had President Trump in, we wouldn’t have inflation, we wouldn’t have a border that’s run away, we wouldn’t have gas prices as high as it is, and we probably would have greater stability in the world. We wouldn’t have China taking over others.”
McCarthy’s dodge comes as he is trying to cobble together enough support from his conference to be the next House speaker. Trump has backed McCarthy’s bid for speaker, and the New York Times reports that Trump has been making calls on McCarthy’s behalf. But a faction of conservatives, including some Trump allies, could derail McCarthy’s plans.
In other 2024 news:
Biden v. Trump no matter what: NBC News’ Peter Nicholas and Mike Memoli report on how Democrats are looking to make 2024 a binary between Biden and Trump, even if the former president isn’t the GOP nominee.
Schumer’s prediction: Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer told NBC News’ Sahil Kapur that he expects Democrats to hold onto the Senate in 2024 despite a tough map, suggesting Democrats will tout their accomplishments and draw a contrast with the “MAGA group” of Republicans.
Walking away from a runoff?: Georgia Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger wants to end the state’s runoffs, arguing it’s tough on election officials, voters and campaigns.
On (to the next race), Wisconsin: Republican Rep. Mike Gallagher tells The Dispatch a bid against Democratic Sen. Tammy Baldwin is “not on my mind.”
Democrats conflicted over Sinema: About a week after Arizona Sen. Kyrsten Sinema decided to register as an independent, Democrats have remained mum about how they’ll choose to handle that decision politically with Sinema’s 2024 re-election looming, NBC News’ Sahil Kapur, Julie Tsirkin and Kate Santaliz report.
McClellan wins big endorsements: Virginia Democratic Sen. Tim Kaine and EMILY’s List are both backing Jennifer McClellan’s bid to replace the late Rep. Donald McEachin in February’s special election.
Dems’ indecision: The Washington Post delves into the decision still confounding Democratic leaders: who will lead the party’s House and Senate campaign arms in 2024.
To the right: Gov. Ron DeSantis, R-Fla., has taken multiple steps in recent days to bolster his conservative credentials ahead of a potential presidential run, per Politico.
