Posted on 01/30/2019 6:16:03 PM PST by 2ndDivisionVet
Sen. Cory Gardner (R-Colo.) is throwing his support behind President Trump’s 2020 reelection bid, a move that could stir trouble for his own electoral prospects next year.
Gardner, a onetime critic of Trump, told IJR that he was backing the president, because he believed Trump would do right by the people of Colorado.
“Look, there are things here – look, I’ve made it very clear that where I agree with the president, we will agree or where I disagree, we will disagree,” Gardner said. “But I’m going to fight like hell for Colorado, and we’ve done some good things for Colorado.”
The endorsement could carry some political risk for Gardner. He’s up for reelection in 2020 in a state that has moved increasingly in Democrats’ favor in recent years.
In the 2018 midterms, Democrat Jason Crow defeated then-Rep. Mike Coffman (R-Colo.) by more than 11 points, flipping a district that Republicans had tried desperately to hold onto.
Likewise, Democrat Jared Polis won his race to succeed former Gov. John Hickenlooper, extending the party’s decade-long grip on the governor’s mansion.
Another previous Republican critic of Trump, Sen. Rob Portman (R-Ohio), also offered his endorsement to the president, telling IJR that he was backing Trump, because he’s already in the White House.
“He’s the incumbent,” Portman said. “I mean, he’s in office, I work with him every day.”
“I disagree with him publicly and privately when appropriate,” he added. “But I also get a lot done, and I get that done with him. So we work with the White House, and I think that’s important for Ohio.”
Unlike Gardner, Portman isn’t up for reelection next year. But the Ohio Republican’s endorsement could potentially give Trump a boost in Ohio, one of the nation’s closest-watched electoral battlegrounds.
Trump carried the state in 2016. But a win there in 2020 is likely to be crucial for Trump if he hopes to get another term in the White House.
Other GOP senators were more reluctant to say whether they would support Trump in 2020, including Sen. Susan Collins (Maine), who is expected to face a tough reelection bid next year.
Collins, who has a reputation as a more moderate Republican, drew Democratic ire in October when she said that she would vote to confirm Supreme Court Justice Brett Kavanaugh, who faced sexual misconduct allegations stretching back to his high school days.
Asked by IJR whether she would back Trump in 2020, Collins demurred.
“Look, I’m not worried about that right now,” she said. “I’m going to concentrate on 2020 when we get to 2020.”
Bush League Republicans who deserve to be Cantorized.
you mean the same idiot Gardner who sided with the Dems to reopen the gubmint’ during the shutdown?
And we're not just going to attack teen-age kids on Twitter if we don't get our way.
Oh, BTW - just like Kamala Harris says that Trump is #NotMyPresident, I say unto her:
#NotMyWhore
Sorry, I no longer trust him. This just makes him look even more two faced in my opinion. The same holds true for Portman as well.
Look-there will be no one better available to Cantorize them. Incumbency has it’s advantages and it’s just plain dumb to gamble. If Colorado goes Nevada or Az. we have to make it up in other states. It’s like stealing elections. We have to win convincingly or the rats will steal.
“telling IJR that he was backing Trump, because he’s already in the White House. “He’s the incumbent,” Portman said. “I mean, he’s in office, I work with him every day.””
Huh? Incumbency is not a compelling reason to vote for a President IMO. Remarks like this doesn’t help Trump very much.
seems like he can’t decide if he’s more worried about being primaried or being tied to Trump in the general election
...seemed to me you lived your life with your finger in the wind, never knowing where to turn to till the polls came in.
gardener will endorse trump and then proceed to trash him at every turn ... that way he can play both ends against the middle ... gardner is a lily-livered putz ...
Yeah, according to the stupid HILL, he might have trouble.
According to people’s sentiment, he stands a good chance of being re-elected.
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.