Trump always brags about his record of endorsing candidates - here's how many won

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Trump always brags about his record of endorsing candidates - here's how many won

trump migrant caravan rally

AP Photo/Jeff Roberson

In this Oct. 27, 2018, photo, President Donald Trump speaks during a rally at Southern Illinois Airport in Murphysboro, Ill. Eager to focus voters on immigration in the lead-up to the midterm elections, Trump on Oct. 29 escalated his threats against a migrant caravan trudging slowly toward the U.S. border as the Pentagon prepared to deploy thousands of U.S. troops to support the border patrol.

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"In a sense, I am on the ticket," President Donald Trump told the crowd at a Cleveland rally one day before this year's hotly contested midterm elections.

After months of tweeted endorsements and dozens of raucous rallies across the nation, at least 51 Trump-backed candidates won and 37 lost. Several other races with Trump endorsements hadn't been decided by Wednesday afternoon.

Here are the winners from across the country who had Trump's stamp of approval.

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Alabama Rep. Martha Roby

Alabama Rep. Martha Roby

Trump tweeted in June to endorse the five-term congresswoman as "a consistent and reliable vote for our Make America Great Again Agenda."

Arizona Rep. Andy Biggs

Arizona Rep. Andy Biggs

Trump tweeted in October that Biggs "is doing a great job for Arizona and our Country!"

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Arizona Governor Doug Ducey

Arizona Governor Doug Ducey

Trump tweeted last week to back the incumbent governor.

Arkansas Governor Asa Hutchinson

Arkansas Governor Asa Hutchinson

Trump announced his support for the incumbent governor in May ahead of the primary.

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California Rep. Paul Cook

California Rep. Paul Cook

Trump urged voters in September to back Cook because he was "Strong on Crime, the Border, and supported Tax Cuts."

California Rep. Devin Nunes

California Rep. Devin Nunes

Trump has said Nunes, the Chair of the House Intelligence Committee, "should get the Medal of Honor" for his role as a vocal critic of the special counsel Robert Mueller's probe into Russian meddling in the 2016 election.

"If [the probe] turns out as everyone thinks it will, Devin Nunes should get the Medal of Honor," Trump said in an October Fox & Friends interview. "What he’s gone through, and his bravery, he should get a very important medal."

Perhaps upon realizing his mistake that the Medal of Honor is for military heroes, Trump continued: "Maybe we’ll call it the Medal of Freedom because we actually give them, the high awards for civilians."

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California Rep. Kevin McCarthy

California Rep. Kevin McCarthy

Trump tweeted in June to urge voters that a vote for incumbent McCarthy was a vote to "Keep our country out of the hands of High Tax, High Crime Nancy Pelosi."

Florida Rep. Neal Dunn

Florida Rep. Neal Dunn

Trump tweeted in October that the House incumbent had "done an outstanding job ateverything having to do with #MAGA."

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Florida Rep. Matt Gaetz

Florida Rep. Matt Gaetz

Trump announced his support for Gaetz in July, after the freshman congressman established himself as one of the most media-friendly Republican lawmakers and a vocal Trump defender.

Florida Rep. Ross Spano

Florida Rep. Ross Spano

Trump headlined a fundraiser in Washington last month as a last-minute push for Spano, who was previously outraised for the open seat in Florida's 15th district.

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Florida Rep. Michael Waltz

Florida Rep. Michael Waltz

Trump tweeted on Election Day to endorse Waltz, a former Green Beret veteran who served in Afghanistan.

Florida Rep. Ted Yoho

Florida Rep. Ted Yoho

Trump tweeted in August that if residents in Florida's 3rd district would "Vote all the way for Ted in the upcoming Primary - he will never let you down!"

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Florida Governor Ron De Santis

Florida Governor Ron De Santis

Trump lauded DeSantis at a rally last week, saying that he is "a smart guy; he’s a great guy. He’ll keep your jobs going way up, he’ll keep your taxes going way down."

Illinois Rep. Mike Bost

Illinois Rep. Mike Bost

Trump said House incumbent Bost "fights every day for the hardworking people of Illinois, and I know it probably better than anyone."

"He calls me: 'Please, you've got to help my people,'" Trump said. "Other people, honestly, other people don’t care."

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Indiana Sen. Mike Braun

Indiana Sen. Mike Braun

Trump cast Senate challenger Braun as an outsider candidate who was tough, if inexperienced.

"Mike Braun is not a career politician," Trump said at an Indiana rally last week. "He's a very successful businessman and a patriot … he's a fighter, he's a winner. He's a very successful guy. He didn't need this. I didn't need it either, by the way. But we're having fun. You know why? We're winning."

Iowa Governor Kim Reynolds

Iowa Governor Kim Reynolds

The president's daughter and White House adviser Ivanka Trump even went to campaign for Reynolds in the week before the election.

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Kansas Rep. Steve Watkins

Kansas Rep. Steve Watkins

Trump said during a rally for the open seat contender that he was "a great veteran," "a patriot, and a proud West Point graduate, that means he's very smart."

Kentucky Rep. Andy Barr

Kentucky Rep. Andy Barr

Trump urged voters in October to back the House incumbent "if you want to stop Nancy Pelosi from becoming Speaker of the House."

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Louisiana Rep. Clay Higgins

Louisiana Rep. Clay Higgins

Trump tweeted in June to announce on behalf of "The Great State of Louisiana, we want Clay!"

Minnesota Rep. Pete Stauber

Minnesota Rep. Pete Stauber

Trump said in August that Stauber would be "great" for Minnesota's 8th district.

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Minnesota Rep. Tom Emmer

Minnesota Rep. Tom Emmer

Trump endorsed Stauber with four other Minnesota candidates, only one other of which won.

Mississippi Sen. Roger Wicker

Mississippi Sen. Roger Wicker

Trump said in June Senate incumbent Wicker "has done everything necessary to Make America Great Again!"

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Missouri Sen. Josh Hawley

Missouri Sen. Josh Hawley

On a sixth visit to Missouri, Trump urged voters to back the Senate challenger and ensure a Republican seat.

"Just pretend he’s one point down, please," Trump told the rally's crowd. "We cannot take a chance of something going awry on Tuesday. That’s why I’m coming again Monday."

Nebraska Sen. Deb Fischer

Nebraska Sen. Deb Fischer

Trump tweeted to back Fischer in May.

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New York Rep. Tom Reed

New York Rep. Tom Reed

Trump tweeted his support in October after Reed publicly defended the administration's tax cuts.

New York Rep. Lee Zeldin

New York Rep. Lee Zeldin

Trump tweeted to support Zeldin in September.

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New York Rep. Peter King

New York Rep. Peter King

Trump tweeted a last-minute push for King.

North Carolina Rep. Ted Budd

North Carolina Rep. Ted Budd

Budd was one of the candidates included in a slew of last-minute rallies through the end of October.

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North Dakota Sen. Kevin Cramer

North Dakota Sen. Kevin Cramer

Trump returned Cramer's vocal support with an endorsement announced in June.

Ohio Rep. Jim Jordan

Ohio Rep. Jim Jordan

Trump, in addition to an endorsement, offered Jordan staunch support after the Republican denied allegations he neglected to address years of sexual abuse while he was an Ohio State University wrestling coach.

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Ohio Rep. Troy Balderson

Ohio Rep. Troy Balderson

Trump tweeted to support Balderson in late October.

Ohio Gov. Mike DeWine

Ohio Gov. Mike DeWine

Trump tweeted to support DeWine in May.

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Oklahoma Gov. Kevin Stitt

Oklahoma Gov. Kevin Stitt

Trump announced his support for mortgage company owner Stitt in August.

Pennsylvania Rep. Scott Perry

Pennsylvania Rep. Scott Perry

Trump tweeted to support the House Freedom Caucus member after the race for Pennsylvania's 10th District was cast as a "toss-up" by the Cook Political Report days ahead of the midterms.

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Pennsylvania Rep. Lloyd Smucker

Pennsylvania Rep. Lloyd Smucker

Smucker earned a tweeted endorsement from Trump in late October.

South Carolina Gov. Henry McMaster

South Carolina Gov. Henry McMaster

Trump staunchly backed the incumbent governor at a South Carolina rally in June.

"There was nobody else," Trump said. "Henry was there at the beginning. He’s a fighter. He’s tough. He’s strong."

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Tennessee Sen. Marsha Blackburn

Tennessee Sen. Marsha Blackburn

Trump aligned Blackburn with his own administration, saying during a rally "a vote for Marsha is really a vote for me and everything that we stand for."

Tennessee Rep. David Kustoff

Tennessee Rep. David Kustoff

Trump announced his support for House incumbent Kustoff in July, calling him "a champion for the Trump Agenda."

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Tennessee Gov. Bill Lee

Tennessee Gov. Bill Lee

Trump announced his support for businessman Lee in August.

Texas Sen. Ted Cruz

Texas Sen. Ted Cruz

Trump reversed his previously harsh tone against incumbent Sen. Cruz at an October rally, saying "He’s not Lyin’ Ted anymore. He’s Beautiful Ted. I call him Texas Ted."

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Texas Rep. Kevin Brady

Texas Rep. Kevin Brady

Trump said in October Brady is the "'King' of Cutting Taxes" and announced a "Strong Endorsement" for the House incumbent, even though "he doesn’t need any help."

Texas Gov. Greg Abbott

Texas Gov. Greg Abbott

Trump announced his support for the incumbent governor in February.

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Utah Sen. Mitt Romney

Utah Sen. Mitt Romney

Virginia Rep. Denver Riggleman

Virginia Rep. Denver Riggleman
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Washington Rep. Cathy McMorris Rodgers

Washington Rep. Cathy McMorris Rodgers

Trump said in October that voters need House incumbent Rodgers "badly".

West Virginia Rep. Carol Miller

West Virginia Rep. Carol Miller

Trump delivered a raucous statement of support for Miller, calling her "a woman that everybody respects."

"She is running against a total wacko," Trump said, referring to Army veteran and state senator Richard Ojeda. "Now I’ve seen this person, you can’t have that person in Congress. That person is stone-cold crazy. A person that you know very well, and everybody in West Virginia loves Carol Miller."

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Wisconsin Rep. Bryan Steil

Wisconsin Rep. Bryan Steil

Trump gave Steil his blessing in August to replace Speaker of the House Rep. Paul Ryan.

Wyoming Sen. John Barrasso

Wyoming Sen. John Barrasso

Trump announced his support for Barrasso in July, even though he said the incumbent senator "doesn’t need any help because he is absolutely outstanding in every way."

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Minnesota Rep. Jim Hagedorn

Minnesota Rep. Jim Hagedorn

Trump tweeted to endorse Hagedorn in September, saying he was the better choice over his "Pelosi Liberal Puppet" opponent.

Alaska Gov. Mike Dunleavy

Alaska Gov. Mike Dunleavy

Trump tweeted in October that Dunleavy would make a "fantastic" governor.

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Montana Rep. Greg Gianforte

Montana Rep. Greg Gianforte

Trump even praised Gianforte for body-slamming Guardian reporter Ben Jacobs in May 2017. "Any guy who can do a body-slam, he's my guy," the president said in October.

These are the 37 Trump-endorsed candidates who lost their midterms:

These are the 37 Trump-endorsed candidates who lost their midterms:
  1. New York Rep. Claudia Tenney
  2. New York Rep. John Faso
  3. Ohio Sen. Jim Renacci
  4. New Jersey Rep. Jay Webber
  5. New Jersey Sen. Bob Hughin
  6. Nevada Sen. Dean Heller
  7. Pennsylvania Sen. Lou Barletta
  8. Minnesota Gov. Jeff Johnson
  9. Pennsylvania Rep. Keith Rothfus
  10. Minnesota Rep. Jason Lewis
  11. Pennsylvania Rep. John Chrin
  12. South Carolina Rep. Katie Arrington
  13. Minnesota Rep. Erik Paulsen
  14. Minnesota Rep. Dave Hughes
  15. New York Rep. Dan Donovan
  16. Michigan Gov. Bill Schuette
  17. Michigan Rep. Lena Epstein
  18. Texas Rep. Pete Sessions
  19. Kansas Gov. Kris Kobach
  20. Kansas Rep. Kevin Yoder
  21. Virginia Sen. Cody Stewart
  22. Virginia Rep. Dave Brat
  23. Iowa Rep. Rod Blum
  24. Illinois Rep. Randy Hultgren
  25. West Virginia Sen. Patrick Morrissey
  26. Colorado Gov. Walker Stapleton
  27. Wisconsin Sen. Leah Vukmir
  28. California Gov. John Cox
  29. Wisconsin Gov. Scott Walker
  30. Minnesota Sen. Karin Housley
  31. Michigan Sen. John James
  32. Nevada Rep. Danny Tarkanian
  33. California Rep. Dana Rohrbacher
  34. California Rep. Diane Harkey
  35. Nevada Gov. Adam Laxalt
  36. Connecticut Gov. Bob Stefanowski
  37. Michigan Rep. Mike Bishop
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