Trump endorses Rep. Mary Miller against Rep. Rodney Davis despite pleas from leadership not to get involved in primary

By Melanie Zanona

Former President Donald Trump on Saturday endorsed freshman Rep. Mary Miller of Illinois against another sitting House Republican, bucking the advice of GOP leadership.

Shortly after Trump’s endorsement, Miller, who was left without a seat after the state’s redistricting process, announced she would run in the state’s newly drawn 15th District, where GOP Rep. Rodney Davis is seeking reelection.

“President Donald Trump inspired me to run in 2020 because our country needs principled conservatives in Congress who always put America First,” Miller said in a statement on Saturday. “Today, President Trump is endorsing me because I am a conservative fighter who is not afraid to take on the DC swamp.”

Miller, a member of the hardline House Freedom Caucus, recently caused a stir within the Republican conference for spreading misinformation about a vaccine records bill and an annual defense policy bill that many House Republicans voted for.

As CNN first reported last month, Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene — another controversial firebrand who is close with Miller — had been lobbying Trump to throw his weight behind Miller, while House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy had urged Trump not to get involved, concerned it could make things even messier for party leaders.

Davis, who is closely aligned with GOP leadership and is poised to become a chairman if Republicans flip the House, voted to certify the 2020 election results and backed a bipartisan commission to investigate the January 6 insurrection, which Trump railed against.

But Davis, who was first elected in 2012, has also tried to tie himself closely to Trump at other points; he was co-chairman of Trump’s campaign in Illinois and caucused for him in Iowa.

Trump has shown no qualms getting involved in a race involving two incumbents, having already endorsed GOP Rep. Alex Mooney of West Virginia, who is challenging Rep. David McKinley, another Republican in the state, after redistricting lumped their seats into one district.

The-CNN-Wire
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