Trump Endorses Bost, Dealing Crippling Blow to Bailey's Congressional Hopes
Former President Donald Trump endorsed Congressman Mike Bost (R-Murphysboro) in his campaign against former Sen. Darren Bailey Tuesday. Bailey had staked much of his campaign’s fortune on Trump’s support.
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Former President Donald Trump Tuesday endorsed Congressman Mike Bost (R-Murphysboro) in his primary race against former state senator and gubernatorial candidate Darren Bailey, delivering a potentially crushing blow to Bailey’s hopes to unseat the incumbent.
In a grammatically challenged post on his social media site (just consider the whole thing a [sic]), Trump wrote Bost had his “complete and total endorsement.”
“While I like and respect Darren Bailey, and was proud to campaign for him in 2022, Mike Bost was one of the first House Committee Chairmen to endorse my Campaign, and Mike was a stalwart supporter of our America First agenda during my record-setting Administration,” wrote Trump. “As Chairman of the Veterans’ Affairs Committee, Mike is doing an incredible job providing our Brave and Patriotic Veterans with the care they deserve. He is working hard to Secure the Border, Champion American Agriculture, Strengthen the Military, Grow the Economy, and Protect and Defend our under siege Second Amendment.”
The endorsement comes as a major setback in Bailey’s fledgling campaign. The former state senator and GOP nominee for Governor in 2022 has struggled to raise money and has run a total of one television ad in the campaign (during the Super Bowl on KFVS in Cape Girardeau, MO) while Bost has been unchallenged on television since early January.
In a video statement posted on his campaign Facebook page Tuesday evening, Bailey tried to push back on Trump’s endorsement.
“I stand with President Trump, whose leadership is crucial for our nation,” he said. “We must continue to support him recognizing not every endorsement can be perfect.”
Bailey’s campaign had previously released a poll showing him leading Bost, but Trump’s endorsement, in the eyes of many Republican insiders, is likely the stepping stone to propel Bost to his sixth term in Congress.