Donald Trump’s electoral endorsements show the hold he still has over Republicans

So far dozens of candidates are happy to have the backing of the former president, as he seeks to influence the make-up of the party, writes Chris Stevenson

Trump is clearly seeking to help those who support a falsehood he has repeatedly pushed – that the 2020 election was rigged (AP)

Donald Trump was in Arizona over the weekend, as he held his first political rally of 2022 in a state that is expected to have close elections for governor and the Senate this year.

Trump’s endorsement for governor is indicative of his feelings about the country as a whole. Kari Lake, a former news anchor who was on the list of speakers for the rally, has suggested that she would not have certified the 2020 election result that made Joe Biden president if she had been governor at the time. Lake raised $1.4m (£1m) in donations across 2021, according to her campaign, although it is still not clear how much of a boost Trump’s endorsement has provided. For comparison, the Arizona secretary of state, Katie Hobbs – a Democrat – has raised $2.9m.

As for the national picture, Trump has endorsed 93 candidates in both Republican primaries and elections for Congress and governorships, according to a review by NBC News. Of those 93, more than half – 59 – have questioned the 2020 election results in some form. Trump is clearly seeking to help those who support a falsehood that he has repeatedly pushed – that the 2020 election was rigged.

Interestingly, 15 of the candidates are running against incumbent Republicans, showing that Trump has a clear idea of who he wants within the GOP. Men account for 73 of the candidates, women 20. “Do you need it to win? No. But you’d be crazy not to want it,” one former political staffer told CBS News, referring to the prospect of a Trump endorsement for those standing in the midterm elections in November.

In a further sign of the outsize influence of Trump on the Republican Party, John Katko of New York announced on Friday that he would not be seeking re-election to the House of Representatives. Katko was one of 10 Republicans in the house to vote to impeach Trump in January 2021. Anthony Gonzalez of Ohio, and Adam Kinzinger – both also among the 10 – have already announced that they will leave Congress at the end of their terms. Responding to the Katko news, Trump said: “Great news, another one bites the dust.” After the Gonzalez announcement, the former president said: “1 down, 9 to go!”, and he added: “2 down, 8 to go!” in the wake of Kinzinger’s statement.

There will no doubt be further endorsements coming from Trump as he seeks to mould the GOP as best he can.