Minnesota Republicans want Trump's endorsement. There's no sure way to get it

As Republicans chasing statewide office in Minnesota look for an advantage in competitive primary races, one thing can give them a decisive edge: an endorsement from President Donald Trump.

"It would just move you to the front of the line," said Mark York, a Republican U.S. Senate candidate.

The path to winning that coveted backing, however, can be unpredictable with a president known for a freewheeling, mercurial style. An endorsement may also have downsides in a general election in Minnesota, given Trump has lost the state in three presidential elections.

Still, that hasn't stopped Republican hopefuls from actively pursuing his backing. Some hold a formal meeting with the White House's political team. Others may tap a surrogate who is friendly with Trump, like U.S. Rep. Tom Emmer, the No. 3 Republican in the U.S. House. Trump ally and candidate for governor Mike Lindell has the president's phone number for a direct appeal.

Sometimes, an endorsement can drop without warning.

"I was very surprised the night the endorsement came out," said former GOP gubernatorial nominee Scott Jensen, who was endorsed by Trump in a Truth Social post two weeks before the 2022 election.

Jensen said he did not seek Trump's endorsement, nor did he meet with anyone on his team. But Jensen recalled appearing on Laura Ingraham's Fox News show the same night Trump endorsed him.

"I think the endorsement happened in less than an hour after that show had ended," he said.

A month out from the Minnesota Republican Party's convention, where activists will make their own influential endorsements of candidates, it's not clear if or when Trump will weigh in. The White House weighs a number of factors, such as candidate viability and loyalty.

But that hasn't stopped many candidates from trying to tilt the odds in their favor.

Trump has long been known to play kingmaker in contested Republican primaries, though his picks have mixed results.

In 2021, for example, Trump endorsed former football star Herschel Walker for U.S. Senate in Georgia. Walker went on to easily win a contested Republican primary, though he later lost in the general election.

In 2022, JD Vance was behind in the polls in a heated Ohio primary race for U.S. Senate but surged ahead to win after Trump endorsed him. Vance later won the general and was elected as Trump's vice president in 2024.

Right now in the Texas U.S. Senate primary, Republicans have feuded over whether Trump should endorse the incumbent Sen. John Cornyn or his insurgent challenger Ken Paxton.

Trump regularly endorses candidates in Minnesota, though it's usually after a contested primary is decided or in cases where there is an incumbent member of Congress facing a challenger.

In 2020, however, Trump backed Michelle Fischbach over other Republican rivals before a contested congressional primary, and she eventually ousted a Democrat to win the Seventh District. Trump has endorsed Fischbach over primary challengers since.

But Trump hasn't weighed in early on races for statewide office.

Lindell, the MyPillow CEO, said he mentioned to Trump he might run for governor during an Oval Office meeting in August. Lindell said Trump didn't respond to the comment. After Thanksgiving, Lindell said he called Trump and told him he was running for governor but did not ask for the president's endorsement.

"I wanted him to know that I want him to endorse me based on merit," said Lindell, who vigorously backed Trump's discredited claims that the 2020 election was rigged.

In December, Trump said Lindell is a "great guy" who "deserves to be governor of Minnesota."

Lindell clarified at the time that Trump's comments were a shout-out, not an endorsement. So far, nothing official has materialized despite their relationship.

Lindell held a fundraiser at Mar-a-Lago in February, which cost him about $135,000 to put on, according to his recently filed campaign finance report. He said Trump was at the Florida resort and said hello to him but did not attend the fundraiser.

A more common entry point for candidates seeking Trump's endorsement is the White House Office of Political Affairs.

A former White House official, who was granted anonymity to speak candidly about the process, said the political affairs team looks at several factors when discussing possible endorsements with Trump. They include loyalty to the president, whether they will support his agenda when they are in office and their viability in the race, the former White House official said.

Candidates who have spoken unfavorably about Trump or supported his rivals in the past might have to work harder for his endorsement.

In Minnesota, former sports broadcaster and U.S. Senate candidate Michele Tafoya urged Trump not to run again in 2024. Maple Grove state Rep. Kristin Robbins, who is running for governor, served as Minnesota chair of Nikki Haley's 2024 presidential campaign.

Minnesota House Speaker Lisa Demuth, who has consistently supported Trump, met with the White House political affairs team before she launched her campaign for governor in November. Demuth's campaign declined to comment.

U.S. Senate candidate David Hann said he flew to Washington in late January to meet with people on the White House political team.

During a meeting in the executive office building across the street from the White House, Hann said they talked about Minnesota and the Senate race and also the political dynamics in the state.

Hann said the Trump team has been "pretty noncommittal about what their plan is."

"I did not come away with, ‘Here's where we are and what we're doing,' " Hann said.

Two longtime political operatives in Minnesota said another route to the president is through surrogates who can vouch for them, including Emmer, who has cultivated a close relationship with Trump and is influential in state politics.

One operative said Emmer can help with an endorsement but also has enough sway to dissuade Trump from making an endorsement.

Still, advocacy from high-ranking Republicans only goes so far.

U.S. Senate Majority Leader John Thune has urged Trump to endorse Cornyn over Paxton in the Texas GOP primary runoff. The president has not weighed in.

While Trump's endorsement can provide a boost in competitive GOP races, it can be a liability in the general election, especially in states where his popularity is underwater.

The Minnesota DFL Party has repeatedly hammered GOP candidates for aligning with Trump, including during the federal immigration crackdown known as Operation Metro Surge.

Preya Samsundar, a GOP operative who previously worked for the Republican National Committee, said Trump's endorsement likely brings more benefits than drawbacks. Democrats, she said, will seek to tie Republicans to Trump regardless of whether he endorsed them.

"They're gonna photoshop a MAGA hat on them, put them right next to Donald Trump and say, ‘These are two peas in a pod,' " Samsundar said.

Some candidates were hesitant to talk about any behind-the-scenes efforts to woo Trump but said his endorsement would be a tremendous campaign boost.

York, a Lake Wilson farmer who worked on critical mineral policy as a White House fellow, is seeking the president's endorsement. He said a Trump endorsement signals credibility to the party's delegates to the state convention, who will decide the Minnesota GOP's endorsement. The candidates who get the state endorsement typically go on to win the primary.

Adam Schwarze, a U.S. Senate candidate, said he has stayed in regular contact with the Trump administration about his progress in the race. Schwarze also said he is "the most vocal Senate candidate that supports Trump's America First Agenda."

"Those policy priorities and my message is resonating with the delegates," he said.

Hann also said a Trump endorsement can help candidates raise money.

"Any candidate would be interested in that kind of help," he said.

A Trump endorsement isn't guaranteed, however, to make other candidates drop out of the race.

Asked if he would end his campaign for governor if Trump endorsed one of his opponents, Lindell said no.

"His endorsement, I mean, do I want it? Yeah. Do I want the (state) GOP endorsement? Yeah," he said. "Are either one of them going to stop where I'm going? No."

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