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Trump Backs Roby After Initial Icy Relationship

Roby said Trump should drop out in 2016, faces runoff for House seat

Rep. Martha Roby, R-Ala., received the support of President Donald Trump in a tweet on Friday. (Tom Williams/CQ Roll Call file photo)
Rep. Martha Roby, R-Ala., received the support of President Donald Trump in a tweet on Friday. (Tom Williams/CQ Roll Call file photo)

President Donald Trump endorsed Alabama Rep. Martha Roby ahead of her primary runoff in the latest twist in their fraught relationship.

Trump tweeted his support for the 2nd District congresswoman on Friday morning, calling her a “consistent and reliable vote for our Make America Great Again agenda.”

Trump tweeted that Roby was facing a “recent Nancy Pelosi voting Democrat” in former Rep. Bobby Bright, who lost to Roby in 2010 when he was a Democrat and is now challenging her in a GOP primary.

The runoff is slated for July 17 after Roby failed to win more than 50 percent of the vote in her primary earlier this month.

The tweet was part of a series of endorsements Trump made on Friday.

He also tweeted support for including for Florida Rep. Ron DeSantis’ bid for governor and South Carolina incumbent Gov. Henry McMaster, the latter of which will be campaigning with Vice President Mike Pence on Saturday and Trump on Monday.

 

Roby’s political troubles have been attributed to her saying Trump should have stepped aside during the 2016 presidential race after audio was released of Trump making crass claims about groping women.

Trump would go on to win in Alabama by 30 points in 2016 while Roby won with less than 50 percent of the vote in her district.

Inside Elections with Nathan L. Gonzales rates the race Solid Republican.

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