Sen. John Kennedy announces reelection bid, draws Trump endorsement

Sen. John Kennedy (R-La.) has announced his reelection campaign for the Senate and received former President Trump’s endorsement.

“Five years ago, I made a promise, a promise that I took seriously. I told you that I would work to put our country back on track and make America great again,” Kennedy said in the announcement Tuesday.

“In the last five years, we’ve accomplished a lot, but now the socialists are racing to undo it all. So, my job—our job—isn’t finished. Today, I’m announcing that I’m running for re-election for the United States Senate,” he added.

Kennedy was first elected in 2016 with 61 percent of the vote in his state. A a Democrat who became a Republican, he served as the Louisiana state treasurer for 17 years before his Senate run.

Kennedy has already raised $9.5 million, with more than $7.2 million cash on hand, for his reelection bid, according to the announcement. 

“Fantastic news for Louisiana and the U.S.A.—Senator John Kennedy will be seeking re-election! John is strong on Crime, the Border, our Military, our Veterans, Pro-Life, Energy and the Economy, and our very much under siege Second Amendment,” Trump said about Kennedy in his endorsement Wednesday.

Trump put out a similar endorsement for the first-term senator back in March.

“With this announcement, I want to make you a new promise: I promise that I will always be your voice during the good times and the bad. I promise I will be a voice against the socialism that’s now overtaken Washington, D.C. I promise that—come hell or high water—your values will be my values, and I will never be silent—never—when the nut jobs tell me to sit down and shut up,” Kennedy said.