Donald Trump backs Attorney General Derek Schmidt in Kansas governor's race

Former President Donald Trump announced Monday in a statement that he was backing Attorney General Derek Schmidt in the governor's race, the most high-profile endorsement yet for Schmidt.

The move will further reduce the odds of a competitive Republican primary for governor, giving Schmidt a boost in appealing to conservative voters in Kansas, which Trump won by 15 points in the 2020 election.

Trump announced the move in a statement, shared on Twitter by his spokesperson Liz Harrington, that Schmidt has "my Complete and Total Endorsement."

"Derek Schmidt, the Attorney General of the Great State of Kansas, has done an absolutely outstanding job," Trump said. "He is now running for Governor and will be a popular and very wise choice. Derek is strong on Crime, the Borders, and our always under siege Second Amendment. He loves our Military and our Vets."

It was unclear if Trump would endorse in the race, with Schmidt not presently facing an opponent in the GOP primary. He is the presumptive favorite to face Democratic Gov. Laura Kelly in the general election in November.

Still, Schmidt underscored his support for Trump in his campaign announcement, touting his record "defending President Trump's 'America first' agenda." In an interview after the announcement, he noted he would welcome Trump's endorsement, a sentiment he echoed in a statement Monday.

"Kansas was better off with your America First leadership in the White House, and I'm genuinely grateful for your support as we work hard to bring pro-America, pro-freedom, pro-family, and pro-jobs policies to the Kansas governor’s office next year,” Schmidt said.

Schmidt also signed on to a motion in support of a longshot Supreme Court case challenging the November 2020 election results in four key swing states, part of President Donald Trump's unsubstantiated arguments of election fraud.

The Texas case was the most brazen of Trump's legal challenges, as it would have involved another state asking the U.S. Supreme Court to hear a challenge to the results in Georgia, Pennsylvania, Wisconsin and Michigan. The upshot would have been swinging the presidential race to Trump.

He conceded defeat after the high court declined to hear the case.

"We stood up for what I think the law requires and will go forward," Schmidt said in a March interview.

Andrew Bahl is a senior statehouse reporter for the Topeka Capital-Journal. He can be reached at abahl@gannett.com or by phone at 443-979-6100.

This article originally appeared on Topeka Capital-Journal: Donald Trump endorses AG Derek Schmidt in Republican primary election