Trump endorses Parnell in Pennsylvania Senate race

Former President Trump on Wednesday endorsed Sean Parnell in Pennsylvania’s closely watched Senate race, giving the former congressional candidate a major boost in the state’s crowded GOP primary.

Parnell, an Army veteran who unsuccessfully challenged Rep. Connor Lamb (D-Pa.) last year, is a staunch ally of Trump, previously winning his support during his 2020 congressional run. He’s been a fixture on right-wing news shows, appearing frequently on Fox News. 

In a statement Wednesday announcing his endorsement, Trump referenced his baseless claim that the 2020 election in key states had been marred by widespread fraud and systemic irregularities, suggesting that Parnell should have won his House bid against Lamb.

“Sean is a great candidate, who got robbed in his congressional run in the Crime of the Century—the 2020 Presidential Election Scam,” the former president said. “He will make Pennsylvania very proud and will fight for Election Integrity, Strong Borders, our Second Amendment, Energy Jobs, and so much more. Sean Parnell will always put America First. He has my Complete and Total Endorsement!”

Parnell is one of more than half a dozen Republicans running in the 2022 election to replace retiring Sen. Pat Toomey (R-Pa.), a relative moderate who has pushed back against Trump’s false claims of a rigged 2020 election.

The Democratic field is similarly crowded, with top contenders including Lamb, Lt. Gov. John Fetterman, Montgomery County Commissioner Val Arkoosh and state Rep. Malcolm Kenyatta. 

The Pennsylvania Senate race is among the most competitive of the 2022 midterm elections. Democrats are hoping to expand their ultranarrow majority in the upper chamber after winning control earlier this year. 

President Biden carried Pennsylvania in the 2020 election after Trump won it in 2016. Despite that victory, however, Democrats are facing political headwinds in 2022, especially given that the party of a new president tends to lose ground in the midterms.