Donald Trump hedges endorsement for Missouri governor, backs three major GOP candidates

Former President Donald Trump on Saturday evening hedged his endorsement in the Republican primary for Missouri governor, pledging his support to all three major candidates.

The decision, which Trump announced just before 7:30 p.m. on his social media platform, Truth Social, comes amid a tight race for governor between Lt. Gov. Mike Kehoe, Secretary of State Jay Ashcroft and Sen. Bill Eigel of Weldon Spring.

“All have had excellent careers, and have been with me from the beginning. They are MAGA and America First all the way!” Trump wrote in the post. “I can’t hurt two of them by Endorsing one so, therefore, I’m going to Endorse, for Governor of the Great State of Missouri, Jay Ashcroft, Mike Kehoe, and Bill Eigel. Choose any one of them – You can’t go wrong!”

The split decision allows each of the candidates, who have long fought for Trump’s support, to claim his endorsement before the Aug. 6 primary election. It also gives the former president the opportunity to claim victory no matter which candidate wins.

Each candidate quickly seized on the endorsement. Ashcroft was the first, saying he was “excited to stand with” Trump.

“No one has fought harder for President Trump than me,” Ashcroft posted on social media. “Thank you President Trump!”

Eigel posted that he was grateful for “the kind words” and endorsement. He followed up by posting a graphic touting the endorsement and promising to “deport every illegal” as Republicans attempt to draw attention to illegal immigration ahead of the election.

Kehoe also thanked Trump, saying he looked forward to working with Trump “as we close the wide-open southern border, back our police, and stand strong for our conservative values.”

Trump’s post marked the second time the former president has hedged his endorsement in Missouri. In the 2022 Republican primary for U.S. Senate, Trump backed “ERIC,” without specifying whether he was supporting then-Attorney General Eric Schmitt or former Gov. Eric Greitens. Schmitt went on to win the primary and the general election.

Trump, who is running for president, has loomed over Republican primary races across the country. Missouri Republicans have battled to demonstrate loyalty and support to the former president, including making immigration a central focus of their campaigns.

Jean Evans, a former executive director of the Missouri Republican Party, previously told The Star that each candidate for governor would try to earn an endorsement from Trump.

“The best case scenario he’s supporting you, worst case scenario he’s supporting somebody else,” she said at the time. “So you’re trying to stem that off, but I would imagine all three of them have some attempts to meet with Trump.”

Publicly available polling has consistently shown a tight race between Kehoe and Ashcroft at the top, followed by Eigel in third.

Trump, in his post, said he loved Missouri “for every reason in the book, including the fact that it is ‘loaded up’ with truly GREAT people.”

“I also like Endorsing Candidates for Office if I think they’re good, and usually there is a differentiation, usually a big one, where it is not that difficult to do,” he said. “But Missouri has three great people running for Governor – Jay Ashcroft, Mike Kehoe, and Bill Eigel.”

House Minority Leader Crystal Quade and businessman Mike Hamra, both from Springfield, are the two major Democratic candidates running for governor.