By Joseph Lord
Former President Donald Trump hit a major milestone just a day ahead of the Iowa caucuses, winning the support of more than half of all congressional Republicans in his bid to reclaim the White House.
Specifically, President Trump now has the backing of 111 out of 220 Republicans in the House and 24 out of 49 Republicans in the Senate.
President Trump achieved the milestone after he won the backing of Sen. Marco Rubio (R-Fla.) and Rep. Julia Letlow (R-La.).
Ms. Letlow announced her endorsement in a statement to Politico, saying “From the very beginning, President Trump has been both a supporter and a friend.
“Most recently, President Trump called me asking for my endorsement, and it’s a privilege to support him.”
Other candidates for the White House have fallen far short of President Trump in congressional support.
Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis, by contrast, has won the backing of five Republicans in the House and none in the Senate.
Former U.N. Ambassador Nikki Haley has won only a single endorsement in the House, that of fellow South Carolinian Rep. Ralph Norman (R-S.C.).
The milestone comes as President Trump continues to dominate the polls with just 24 hours until the Iowa caucuses.
Currently, President Trump has a massive 33.8 percent lead over his nearest competitor, according to RealClearPolitics averages, with 52 percent of those surveyed giving him their backing.
Ms. Haley has the next most support, according to the average, with 18.2 percent backing her bid for the White House. Still, despite a recent surge in her polling numbers, Ms. Haley remains far short of overtaking President Trump.
Mr. DeSantis, initially the favorite for the runner-up spot behind President Trump, currently sits at 15.6 percent support. Despite an arduous campaign circuit through each of Iowa’s 99 counties, Mr. DeSantis’s campaign has continued to lag since the Florida governor’s early successes.
The final poll conducted ahead of the caucuses confirmed these figures.
The poll, conducted by J. Ann Selzer’s Selzer & Co., found that President Trump is still far and away the favorite in the Iowa caucuses.
In the poll, President Trump fell a few points short of his average, with 48 percent offering their support to the former president.
Ms. Haley, the runner-up, got less than half of that with 20 percent support. Behind the two leaders, Mr. DeSantis and biotech entrepreneur Vivek Ramaswamy received 16 percent support and 8 percent support respectively.
Still, with blisteringly cold weather expected in Iowa the day of the caucus, President Trump has warned his followers that they still need to show up.
“Our grassroots supporters have put us in position to win. And now, we have to show up to caucus,“ he said in a statement issued in response to the poll. ”We have to show up.”
Speaking at a Trump campaign HQ on Jan. 14, former Arizona gubernatorial candidate Kari Lake reiterated the sentiment.
“No matter how windy, no matter how cold, we’ve gotta put our boots on,” Ms. Lake told campaign volunteers in Urbandale, a city in the outskirts of Des Moines.
Nevertheless, President Trump seems poised at the moment to run away with the first electoral battle of the 2024 season as he continues to consolidate Republican support.
