(Update with comments from Kobach, Colyer, Selzer, Barnett campaigns; inserted background; edits throughout)
Less than 24 hours before voters cast ballots in the Republican gubernatorial primary, President Donald Trump endorsed Secretary of State Kris Kobach.
In a 10:48 a.m. tweet on Monday, Trump backed Kobach in the race, which includes Gov. Jeff Colyer, Insurance Commissioner Ken Selzer and former state Sen. Jim Barnett.
Kris Kobach, a strong and early supporter of mine, is running for Governor of the Great State of Kansas. He is a fantastic guy who loves his State and our Country – he will be a GREAT Governor and has my full & total Endorsement! Strong on Crime, Border & Military. VOTE TUESDAY!
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) August 6, 2018
Kobach has run his campaign as an unabashed Trump supporter, openly telling audiences of conversations he had with the president, one as recently as Saturday. Trump’s son came to Kansas twice to campaign for the secretary of state.
About a year ago, Kobach was mentioned as possible successor to lead the Department of Homeland Security after John Kelly became Trump’s chief of staff.
Kobach, along with the vice president, also led the president’s controversial but now-disbanded commission created to investigate voter fraud.
Just last week, the Maine secretary of state ripped the commission, saying it was created only affirm to Trump’s unfounded claims about voter fraud.
“Kris has been with the president since the beginning,” said Kobach campaign manager J.R. Claeys. “He endorsed the president in the primary in 2016 when no other Republicans would, including Jeff Colyer.”
“We’re going to push this message out over the next 24 hours and make sure that voters who are still debating how they’re going to vote know the president is supporting Kris Kobach.”
The Associated Press had reported that Trump administration officials warned the president against endorsing in the primary out of fear of turning off Republicans loyal to Colyer.
They warned that the secretary of state’s hard-line approach on immigration might make him vulnerable against a Democratic opponent, the AP reported.
Trump endorsed Kobach despite the fact that Colyer was among seven governors who backed Trump for a Nobel Peace Prize because of efforts to bring peace to the Korean peninsula.
“We respect the Trump family’s loyalty but as Bob Dole made clear in his endorsement of the governor – Dr. Colyer is the best candidate to win (Tuesday) and the only candidate who can defeat the Democrats in the fall.”
Selzer dismissed the endorsement with a brief statement.
“Kansans are focused on Kansas and Kansas issues,” Selzer spokeswoman Lindsay Preisinger said in an email. “We don’t believe it will have much impact.”
Barnett congratulated Kobach, but added, “The endorsement from tomorrow’s vote is the one that matters most.”
Trump’s endorsement may be the biggest in a race where Colyer has collected dozens of endorsements from influential players in Kansas politics, including the Kansas Farm Bureau, the Livestock Association. Colyer and Kobach shared the Kansans for Life endorsement.
Polling in the race has been mixed so far. Polls done by a firm owned by consultants working for Colyer have shown the race to be a dead heat.
A poll that Kobach commissioned showed him ahead by nine percentage points. Another poll posted on the Real Politics website over the weekend showed Kobach leading by seven points.
Kobach showed up at Johnson County Republican Party headquarters early Monday night to thank his supporters as they made get-out-the-vote phone calls.
He recited his list of national supporters: Sean Hannity, Ann Coulter, Ted Nugent.
“Obviously having the president endorse us is such a game changer,” Kobach said to a hearty round of applause in a packed conference room. “This is just awesome.”
