U.S. Rep. Harriet Hageman isn’t wasting any time leaving doubt about who she will support in the 2024 presidential election, announcing her endorsement of former President Donald Trump on Wednesday morning.
“I believe that Donald Trump was one of the best presidents of my lifetime,” Hageman says in a press release. “His policies were great for Wyoming and the country as a whole.”
Hageman has consistently defended Trump and called the 2020 election a “travesty,” siding with his allegations of fraud.
Trump’s endorsement kicked off Hageman’s campaign for Congress in fall 2021, and he also hosted a rally for her last May in Casper that was attended by more than 10,000 people.
“President Trump stood with me for my election in 2022, and I am proud to stand with him in 2024,” Hageman said.
Trump acknowledged Hageman’s endorsement in a Wednesday mass email to supporters.
Early Endorsement
Although Hageman’s endorsement of Trump isn’t shocking, the timing is a little more surprising. More than 18 months remain before the general election and 11 months before the first Republican caucus in Iowa.
“The 2024 election cycle has already started and people have been asking where Harriet stands,” Hageman political adviser Tim Murtaugh told Cowboy State Daily. “She wanted to make it clear right away, like a number of her colleagues in Congress have done.”
State Rep. John Bear, R-Gillette, chairman of the staunchly conservative Wyoming Freedom Caucus, said although Hageman’s endorsement “is very important,” he also said it’s “awfully early.”
“But she’s got an inside track that I don’t have,” he said.
Who’s Backing and Who’s Not?
U.S. Rep. Elise of New York, the No. 3 ranking House Republican, has endorsed Trump, as Stefanik has firebrand representatives Lauren Boebert of Colorado and Marjorie Taylor Greene of Georgia.
Although he stopped short of officially endorsing the 45th president in late January, more moderate Republican Sen. Lindsay Graham of South Carolina praised Trump while attending a campaign rally for the former president.
The only major candidate who has entered the race against Trump is former South Carolina governor and Ambassador to the United Nations Nikki Haley.
A few strong candidates expected to enter the race have not officially done so yet.
Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis has been considered one of the most formidable challengers to Trump’s bid for president. Former Vice President Mike Pence also has been rumored to be considering a run.
Lummis Prefers DeSantis
U.S. Sen. Cynthia Lummis indicated a preference for DeSantis over Trump in November, saying she believes the Florida governor to be the future leader of the Republican Party.
U.S. Sen. John Barrasso has been mum on the topic but was criticized by Trump in a January radio interview, calling Barrasso a “flunky.”
Although she hasn’t polled as well as other potential candidates, former Wyoming congresswoman Liz Cheney said repeatedly in 2022 that she wouldn’t rule out running for president in 2024. Hageman beat Cheney by about 38% of the vote in the 2022 Republican primary.
How Much Support Left?
Trump was enormously popular in Wyoming during the 2016 and 2020 elections, winning the Cowboy State by a larger margin than any other state in 2020.
“He understood that we must promote and support our domestic energy industries, allow states to responsibly develop their own natural resources, enforce immigration laws and protect our southern border, and lead the country with strength so that our allies respect us while our enemies fear us,” Hageman said.
A November 2022 University of Wyoming poll found that 58% of Wyoming residents had at least a “good” opinion of the former president. But the perception of Trump overall in America is struggling, according to national polls. A December 2022 Quinnipiac University poll found that 31% of registered voters have a favorable opinion of him, while 59% have an unfavorable opinion.
Many conservatives and former Trump supporters Cowboy State Daily has spoken to have said they are keeping an open mind about which Republican they will support in 2024.
“A lot can happen,” Bear said. “I think it’s wise to have an open mind.”
Bear, who said he supports Trump’s policies, is one of these undecideds.
“If he wins through the primary process, I will be supportive, but I’d like to see who else comes through the field and also kind of bring those policies. Obviously, he has drawn a very negative response from a lot of voters, so it’s a risky proposition.”
Trump Polls Better Than Biden
How Trump would stack up in a head-to-head matchup against 2020 opponent President Joe Biden tells a different tale.
A Reuters poll released on Monday shows Trump with a 3% lead over Biden in a theoretical election. Biden trails DeSantis by a similar 3% margin but has a 12% lead on Haley.
Hageman’s opposition to Biden is no secret, consistently speaking against the president.
“Joe Biden has taken the exact opposite approach on all these policy issues, and look at what he has done to our country,” Hageman said. “We are again reliant on foreign sources of energy, our fuel prices are too high, inflation continues to soar, our border is in crisis, and the Chinese are having a field day violating our airspace, stealing our intellectual property, and flooding our country with fentanyl.
“We must turn this country around by defeating Biden, or whatever candidate the Democrats put up to replace him.”
