Tea Party leader warns Trump to stay out of Mississippi Senate race to avoid alienating voters

A prominent leader of the Tea Party moment cautioned President Donald Trump to stay out of a hotly-contested Mississippi U.S. Senate race, saying his involvement could alienate voters.

According to Axios, Tea Party Patriots co-founder Jenny Beth Martin said she thinks Trump should "stay out" of the race, saying his possible relationship with one candidate could tilt the race -- and not in a good way.

Martin stated that Trump's possible endorsement of incumbent Sen. Roger Wicker over state Sen. Chris McDaniel could anger some voters.

"I notice that the president has met with a few people, like Roger Wicker from Mississippi, I'm here to tell you that the grassroots in Mississippi have not forgotten what happened to them with Chris McDaniel in 2014, that election was really stolen from [him], and they remember," Martin explained. "And I hope the president just stays out of that... for his sake... the grassroots don't like Wicker at all… the president liking him isn't going to make them like Wicker any more."

According to Axios, Martin noted that Trump's endorsement of  Luther Strange in Alabama was not a plus, with Strange losing to Judge Roy Moore in the GOP Senate primary.