Conservative grassroots group endorses Trump

A major conservative grassroots organization announced Monday it is endorsing former President Trump in the GOP presidential primary, further solidifying his grip on the party and its base.

“Over the last several weeks, we have polled our grassroots supporters. They made their choice clear — Tea Party Patriots Citizens Fund activists want Donald Trump to be returned to the White House as the nation’s 47th president,” Tea Party Patriots founder Jenny Beth Martin said in an exclusive statement to The Hill.

“Our grassroots understand that the American experiment is at risk, and that the man most able to save it is Donald Trump,” Martin continued. “Consequently, I am honored and proud to declare that on behalf of our three million supporters, Tea Party Patriots Citizens Fund endorses Donald Trump for president.”

Martin, in an interview with The Hill, said Trump was the preferred candidate of 87 percent of Tea Party Patriots Citizens Fund members who responded to a survey starting in December, with Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis (R) second at roughly 10 percent. Thousands of members responded to the super PAC’s survey.

The group announced its endorsement a day after DeSantis suspended his campaign and endorsed Trump.

Martin praised the former president’s record on the economy and foreign policy, among other issues.

“Donald Trump was a magnificent president: our economy reached heights never before seen; our standard of living rose; crime was under control; our borders were better secured; America became an energy exporter and shed the shackles of dependence on foreign suppliers; foreign allies respected us even as our adversaries feared us; and our future looked bright. He was, in word and deed, the All-American President,” she said in a statement.

Trump is the overwhelming favorite to be the next GOP presidential nominee, especially in the wake of DeSantis’s exit. His only rival still in the race is former United Nations Ambassador Nikki Haley, who is trailing Trump by double digits in the Decision Desk HQ/The Hill average of New Hampshire polls and is running far behind Trump in other primary states.

A slew of lawmakers have endorsed Trump as the primaries got underway, and a growing number of Republicans have urged the party to unite behind the former president and turn their attention toward the general election.

Tea Party Patriots was founded in 2009 as part of the conservative Tea Party movement. It vocally opposed Obama administration policies, including the Affordable Care Act, and has in recent years aligned itself closely with Trump.

Martin said ahead of the 2024 election, the group will work on recruiting and training volunteers who want to work at polling locations or serve as poll watchers, part of a broader conservative focus on election integrity.

The group will also engage in a “get out the vote” program, Martin said, with a major focus on Georgia, Arizona and Wisconsin.

“I think that when the primaries die down it’s going to help a lot of people on both sides of the aisle just be able to focus on November and just be able to make the case about the best solutions for problems our country faces,” Martin said. “And I look forward to that debate.”