After Murkowski Criticism, Trump Shores Up Senate GOP Support

President Donald Trump retweeted different Republican senators multiple times late Thursday and early Friday in an apparent show of mutual support.

The series of retweets, over 100 in total, and all in a row, comes less than a day after Republican Senator Lisa Murkowski publicly broke with Trump over his handling of protests in Washington, D.C., earlier this week.

The far majority of the tweets highlighted the respective senators’ recent accomplishments and statements, ranging from touting their work in passing the Paycheck Protection Program to media appearances with them calling for “law and order.” Collectively, the retweets were a clear indication of the president’s support for them going into what is projected to be a contentious election season, experts say.

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While some of the senators that appeared on the president’s Twitter feed are heavy favorites to win their seat in November, not up for re-election or retiring altogether, a few are facing competitive races in states that could very well decide which party wins the presidency and the Senate. (RELATED: Here Are The Issues Most Important To Swing Voters In 2020)

In states like Arizona, North Carolina, and Colorado, vulnerable Republican senators have tread a fine line in attempting to maintain their support from the president without alienating moderate voters in their home states.

While Republican Arizona Sen. Martha McSally has maintained strong support from the president and the Republican base, she has begun to trail behind her Democratic challenger in polls.

The same can be said for Republican North Carolina Sen. Thom Tillis and Republican Colorado Sen. Cory Gardner, both of whom are polling neck-and-neck, according to averages from RealClearPolitics and FiveThirtyEight, respectively, among voters who may likely decide whether Republican keep the Senate come November, according to many election forecasters.

Gardner and GOP Maine Sen. Susan Collins are the only two Republican Senators running for re-election in states that Trump lost in 2016. Colorado went for 2016 Democratic nominee Hillary Clinton by five points, and Gardner is widely considered to be the most vulnerable GOP senator.

Trump’s tweets in support of Republican senators are sure to help solidify their support among the president’s base, which could prove helpful since he is set to appear at the top of every ballot across the country and because in recent years voters have trended towards voting straight tickets, regardless of party affiliation.

As the 2020 election season begins to accelerate, more and more Republican senators have aligned themselves with the president, who holds a constant approval rating of over 90 percent among members of his party, in hopes that voters will award them both with an additional term.