NEWPORT NEWS, Va. — Ahead of Virginia's Super Tuesday primary elections, former President Donald Trump picked up direct endorsements from some of Virginia's top GOP politicians at the state and federal level.
Trump, who is polling as the GOP favorite among Republican voters by about eight percentage points over Nikki Haley, picked up endorsements from U.S. Representatives Rob Wittman, Morgan Griffith, Ben Cline and Bob Good.
Prominent endorsements from the Virginia General Assembly include House Republican Leader Todd Gilbert, Former House Majority Leader Terry Kilgore, as well as a slate of more than a dozen Republican State Senators and Delegates.
As for Virginia's top Republican leadership, political analysts believe the support may be more broad than individual endorsements.
“He [Governor Youngkin] has established himself as his own person, not a 'MAGA' Republican but he has maintained the support of 'MAGA' Republicans. Is it best for him to say ‘I support the GOP nominee’ and carry on, or does he say ‘I endorse Donald Trump?’ I’m not sure, it could end up hurting him, if he decides to run for President or whatever his next step is. There may be a piece of him saying ‘We’ll have to deal with this at some point in a campaign, so is it worth it?’ Or do we continue with the ‘I support the nominee for the GOP,'" Cami Castleberry said, the Associate Director of Christopher Newport University's Wason Center.
In 2021, Governor Youngkin picked up an endorsement from former President Trump while campaigning against former Virginia Governor Terry McAuliffe. Despite the former President's endorsement, the first-time Governor has distanced himself from the prototypical 'Make America Great Again' branding, while still aligning with and garnering support across Virginia's conservative voters.
"That was the hitch on the wagon that he didn’t ask for but got it. I think that’s the turning point for Trump voters saying, 'Oh if Trump likes him so do we,'" Castleberry said.
Since Governor Youngkin took office, even the phrase "Trump" is practically non-existent on a search of the Governor's personal and professional government accounts on X (formerly Twitter). However, he has not shied away from public criticism of Democratic Joe Biden.
In a statement to 13News Now, a spokesperson for the Governor's office stated his stance has remained "consistent."
"I’m going to let Virginians choose their candidate, I will support the Republican nominee."
Castleberry believes the most likely scenario is that Governor Youngkin stands by his support of the GOP nomination, but may be the extent of his public
“We have one term Governors in Virginia, so what he decides to do won't make or break him. He has said he's 'not going to get involved in the primary but whoever the nominee is, I will support them.' So how much he does, depends on what he wants to do," she said.
As for Virginia's Lt. Governor and Attorney General, Castleberry believes they're locked into supporting the GOP nomination as well.
“We have Attorney General Jason Miyares and Winsome Earle-Sears, the last thing they can do if they want to be Governor is be the one who didn’t support President Trump. That would be a huge primary election issue for the GOP primary for Governor," Castleberry said.
Trump will appear in Richmond this Saturday, days after Haley's appearance before Super Tuesday.