Trump stumps for Louisiana Senate candidate ahead of runoff

President-elect Donald Trump on Friday offered his support for Louisiana Senate hopeful John Kennedy (R) on the eve of the state’s runoff.

The real estate magnate lauded Kennedy as a “proven leader” who could help enact Trump’s agenda in Washington.

{mosads}”If you go to the polls, he’s going to win. If you don’t go to the polls, he’s not gonna win,” Trump told a crowd in a Baton Rouge airport hangar.

“If he doesn’t win, I’ve got myself a problem in Washington, because we have — it’s pretty close. We need John in Washington, not only for a vote but for his leadership,” Trump said.

Republicans currently hold 51 seats in the Senate, while the Democrats have 48. With Kennedy heavily favored over Democrat Foster Campbell, the GOP is expected to have a 52-seat majority at the beginning of Trump’s administration.

Widening the margin is important for Trump, as his Cabinet appointments must pass through the Senate with majority support. Some Republicans, like Sen. Rand Paul (Ky.), have signaled they would be willing to block Cabinet picks from their own party.

Paul spoke out last month to criticize former New York City Mayor Rudy Giuliani and former U.S. Ambassador to the U.N. John Bolton, two Trump supporters who had been seen as potential picks for the State Department at the time.

Trump’s transition team announced Friday afternoon that Giuliani had withdrawn his name from consideration on Nov. 29. Other candidates, including 2012 GOP presidential nominee Mitt Romney, appear to still be in consideration.

Trump also endorsed GOP House candidate Mike Johnson at the event Friday just hours before polls open in Louisiana.

The state holds its primary elections on Election Day, where the top two finishers regardless of party move on to the December runoff election.

Candidates can avoid the runoff if they win 50 percent of the vote, but that’s especially unlikely in statewide races — there were 24 candidates on the primary ballot in November, and seven who received 3 percent of the vote or more.

While the purpose of Trump’s visit was to stump for Kennedy, Trump only spent a short time talking about the Louisiana races. The vast majority of his 45-minute speech mirrored that of his campaign rallies and subsequent “thank you” tour, ticking off his agenda, lauding his rise to the presidency and departing from the script for brief asides.