Trump scores 50 endorsements from the West Virginia state legislature

Nearly half of the West Virginia state legislature has signed on to a letter endorsing Donald Trump in the Republican primary, marking an early show of strength from the former president as the campaign gets underway.

“As President, Donald J. Trump fought for conservative Republican principles and delivered responsible America First policies that greatly benefited West Virginia, our nation, and the world,” reads a letter signed by members of the state House of Delegates and Senate and obtained by POLITICO. “President Trump exhibited strength and determination within his service to our country, as he bravely countered unwarranted attacks, never wavering from his commitment to the American people.”

The letter is signed by 50 members total, including 40 West Virginia Delegates and ten Senators. It was organized by Delegate Josh Holstein from Boone County and constitutes slightly less than half of the Republicans serving in the W.V. capitol: there are 100 members in the House of Delegates, 89 of which are Republicans, and there are 34 members of the W.V. state Senate, 31 of which are Republican.

“It’s really not been that big of a lift in West Virginia. The President is extremely popular. He's absolutely considered to be the leader of the party and in West Virginia and many of us are happy to jump on early and support them on behalf of our constituents,” said Holstein, who said he worked with the Trump campaign to organize the letter.

The Trump and Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis’ 2024 campaigns have been engaged in a heated competition to secure endorsements, with some endorsers flipping back and forth between the two.

Holstein said some of the legislators he approached are staying neutral through the primary, “or they feel like they don't want to upset any of their constituents.”

“Actually, several folks I talked to told me they were gonna stay neutral, but they support the president and they just wanted to stay neutral,” he added. “I'm very happy with [the 50 legislators endorsing]. I think that's a great number. And I wouldn't be surprised if, over the next couple of months, we see that number increase to 60 or greater.”

Trump overwhelmingly won the state of West Virginia in the 2016 and 2020 presidential elections, winning around 68 percent of the vote both times, and handily won the 2016 presidential primary, with 77 percent supporting Trump. He has remained popular in the state, and visited the state multiple times over the course of his presidency.

The West Virginia primary takes place on May 14, 2024.