The subtext of the Republican primaries this year has been the quest for a Trump endorsement, or at the very least denying the endorsement to an opponent. At times, candidates have crafted old Trump statements into what appear to be endorsements, for the benefit of voters who want to know where the president stands.
In Arizona, for example, Trump’s political aides have begged him to stay out of a U.S. Senate primary race that features three Republicans: former state lawmaker and conservative activist Kelli Ward; Joe Arpaio, the former Maricopa County sheriff and longtime Trump defender; and Rep. Martha McSally, who did not endorse Trump in 2016 but has been talking up her connections to the White House on the campaign trail.
The aides fear that Trump will endorse either Ward or Arpaio, who are seen as weaker general election candidates.
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