With President Donald Trump’s popularity sagging in key states, Republican Senate candidates are turning to an unlikely surrogate to close out the midterms.
Sen. John Kennedy (R-LA) has become a go-to campaign stand-in in a tough political environment “where an appearance by President Donald Trump might not necessarily help," according to the Washington Sun, which reported that the folksy two-term senator has recently stumped for candidates in Iowa, Kansas, Texas, Nebraska, Ohio and Alaska.
Last week he campaigned for Mike Rogers, the GOP Senate nominee in Michigan, and Republicans are counting on Kennedy to win back voters who have soured on some of the Trump administration’s policies, including the Iran war, which has pushed up the price of gas and groceries.
Kennedy, said Sen. Thom Tillis (R-NC), is “the right guy to show some independence and really shows some of these candidates that you got to show some independence in the final stretch here, or it’s going to be a referendum on Trump.”
Tillis added that Kennedy “has used a little bit more finesse than me when he disagrees with the president,” and credited him with playing a key role in Kristi Noem’s ouster as homeland security secretary.
Kennedy hasn’t held back on his own party, either. At a barn rally for Rogers north of Detroit, he took aim at a Washington that Republicans fully control.
“The water in Washington, D.C., is not going to clear up until you get the pigs out of the creek,” Kennedy told the crowd.
The 74-year-old’s appeal seems to reach beyond the MAGA base. Dayne Webb, a college student from Kalamazoo, told the Sun that Kennedy is popular with young conservatives, including some who are turned off by Trump.
“People on TikTok were like, ‘I hate Trump, but I love John Kennedy,’” the student said.
Kennedy is also a fundraising force. A senior Senate GOP aide said he and Sen. Ted Cruz (R-TX) lead the conference in online contributions. “He’s been raising a s---load of money online for years,” the aide said.
Kennedy recently said he is considering a 2028 presidential run, although he’s leaning toward seeking re-election, but that could change if the field turns out to be “a bunch of goobers.”