In late October, Donald Trump had nothing but positive things to say about Republican Rep. Jeff Hurd of Colorado. In a statement published to his social media platform, the president said the incumbent congressman has been an “incredible” lawmaker with “a strong Record of SUCCESS.” Trump concluded, “Jeff Hurd has my Complete and Total Endorsement for Re-Election — HE WILL NOT LET YOU DOWN!”

Roughly four months later, the president did something he does not often do: He unendorsed a Republican he’d already backed, withdrawing his support for Hurd after the GOP lawmaker criticized the administration’s tariffs, among other things. As part of the same lengthy online missive, the president also threw his support behind Hurd’s primary rival, local nurse practitioner Hope Scheppelman.

That was last month. On Friday, Trump came full circle, reversing his reversal. The New York Times summarized:

In a statement on social media, Mr. Trump said Ms. Scheppelman would be leaving the campaign to join his administration in a ‘capacity to be determined.’ The president added that Mr. Hurd ‘should in no way, shape, or form, be impeded from winning’ re-election in his conservative-leaning swing district, which covers much of the western half of Colorado.

‘I will be fully supporting Jeff’s Re-Election to the House of Representatives, giving him my Complete and Total Endorsement!’ Mr. Trump wrote. ‘Every true MAGA supporter and Republican, if they truly care about saving our Country, will do everything in their power to unify together.’

The wild swings have been unusual, but they’re worth appreciating in a larger context.

The congressman has found himself in a difficult position. Hurd is a GOP incumbent in a blue state, hoping to hold on in a competitive district where the White House’s agenda is increasingly unpopular. This pressure pushed Hurd to break with the administration on some key issues.

For Trump, desperate to maintain control over congressional Republicans, impose discipline on his ostensible allies and punish those who fall out of line, Hurd’s failure to toe the line was met with a swift response. The apparent intent wasn’t just focused on one GOP lawmaker; Trump occasionally likes to make examples of people. The message to other Republicans was unsubtle: Echo the White House or the president will endorse your primary rivals too.

But the details complicated matters for the party. The Colorado district that Hurd represents leans toward the GOP, but not overwhelmingly so, and if local primary voters backed a far-right extremist over the incumbent, Democratic optimism about flipping the seat would reach new heights.

In other words, Trump had to decide which was more important: punishing a representative who broke with the administration on a handful of issues or prioritizing the Republican Party’s broader electoral strategy amid political headwinds.

The president ultimately went with the latter — sending a very different kind of message to GOP incumbents looking for opportunities to put some distance between themselves and their party’s failing president.

This post updates our related earlier coverage.

The post In key race, Trump reverses his reversal, backs GOP incumbent a month after condemning him appeared first on MS NOW.

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