GOP senator latest Republican to throw hat behind Trump for president

FIRST ON FOX: A Republican senator running for his state’s governorship threw his hat behind former President Trump’s White House bid.

Republican Senator Mike Braun of Indiana, who is running to be the Hoosier State’s next governor, told Fox News Digital that he is endorsing Trump for president in the 2024 race.

“As a Main Street Entrepreneur and political outsider, I’ve seen firsthand how the Washington swamp works against Hoosiers and works overtime to hamper our prosperity,” Braun told Fox News Digital.

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“Donald Trump is a businessman and outsider,” Braun said. “Together, we took on the Washington swamp with a historic victory in the 2018 Indiana Senate race.”

“We installed constitutional conservatives on the Supreme Court who have protected the unborn and our Second Amendment rights, and we disrupted the cozy, self-serving Washington elites who are bankrupting our country,” the Indiana senator continued.

Braun said that “Donald Trump is the candidate capable of returning us to the America First policies that delivered unmatched prosperity and security for the American people.”

“I give Donald Trump my endorsement for President of the United States,” he added.

Braun has been a staunch ally of Trump through his first term and was a loud voice of support behind the former president in his first impeachment trial.

Trump was also a major ally behind Braun’s 2018 Senate run when he defeated then-incumbent Democrat Indiana Senator Joe Donnelly for his seat.

Trump brought in thousands of people to his rallies supporting Braum as the now-senator ran amid a tough midterm election year for Republicans.

Braun’s comments come as a top Republican predicts Trump will take the GOP White House nomination.

House Speaker Kevin McCarthy predicted the former president will win the 2024 Republican presidential primary race on Sunday, bashing Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis as “not at the same level.”

McCarthy made the comments during an appearance on Fox News’ “Sunday Morning Futures” with host Maria Bartiromo. McCarthy has previously remained neutral in the GOP primary, declining to endorse Trump in July.

“I think he will be the nominee,” McCarthy said about Trump after Bartiromo asked if he thought the former president would be the party’s choice for 2024. “The thing is, President Trump is stronger today than he was in 2016 or 2020, and there’s a reason why. They saw the policies of what he was able to do with America – putting America first, making our economy stronger.”

“We didn’t have inflation. We didn’t have these battles around the world. We didn’t look weak around the world,” he added.

“Well it looks like Ron DeSantis is now trying to work with your colleagues who are pushing for a shutdown,” Bartiromo said.

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“I don’t think that would work anywhere. A shutdown would only give strength to the Democrats,” McCarthy said. “It would give the power to Biden. It wouldn’t pay our troops. It wouldn’t pay our border agents.”

“I actually want to achieve something, and this is where President Trump is so smart, that he was successful in this.” McCarthy continued. “President Trump is beating Biden right now in the polls. He is stronger than he has ever been in this process, and, look, I served with Ron DeSantis – he’s not at the same level as President Trump by any shape or form. He would not have gotten elected without President Trump’s endorsement.”

While McCarthy’s comments do not amount to an official endorsement of Trump, they are a clear message of friendship to the former president. McCarthy had previously offended the Trump campaign with another television appearance in June.

Fox News Digital’s Anders Hagstrom contributed reporting.