Yesterday Texas Senator Ted Cruz endorsed former Republican House Speaker Bill O’Brien for US Senate in New Hampshire.
From the Hill.com
He elaborated on his endorsement in an interview with conservative radio host Jeff Kuhner, calling O’Brien a “principled conservative” who “knows how to produce results.”
“Bill O’Brien has a backbone. He is willing to stand up to do the right thing even if the lobbyists and the special interests, they don’t like it,” Cruz said.
“I think he would make a phenomenal senator from New Hampshire and I’m very proud to stand with him,” he added.
You can listen to the Khuner interview here.
O’Brien was a high-profile New Hampshire supporter of Senator Cruz in his run for President in 2016, so it is not a stretch to envision that support in return. Mr. O’Brien does also have a unique qualification concerning conservative credentials with which Senator Cruz self-associates. As a legislator and speaker of the New Hampshire House, O’Brien shrunk the size of government, spending, regulatory overreach.
He had a super-majority for help, but that’s no guarantee of anything. Direction, leadership, and making enemies, which he did, were necessary to shrink the state. I’ve never seen anyone else do that in New Hampshire.
Whatever other qualifications his competitors have they won’t have that. But having that is no guarantee of success in a Republican Primary. New Hampshire has a habit of choosing Scott Brown’s and Walt Havenstein’s. RINO, moderates who lose to their more principled progressive challengers on the Democrat side.
Even Governor Chris Sununu, who is good on guns and taxes and the economy, is terrible on social and cultural issues.
It’s a great endorsement. It could help with fundraising, which is critical. It may lead to other endorsements from conservative US Senators. But at this point who does this win over? Are they people who would not have already voted for O’Brien?
We won’t know until we see some more polling and find out if when Lewandowski is formally getting in on the fun.
Note: GraniteGrok.com has not endorsed a candidate in the NH Senate Republican Primary. Individual contributors have or may endorse candidates, but this is not an endorsement by GraniteGrok.com
Disclosure: I am on the Board of Directors of the 603 Alliance. By majority vote, the 603 Alliance has endorsed Bill O’Brien for US Senate.
