SACRAMENTO, Calif._President Donald Trump endorsed Republican John Cox for California governor in a tweet Friday, backing that could pay dividends in consolidating the GOP vote in the June primary, increasing Cox's chances to win a spot on the November ballot.
"California finally deserves a great Governor, one who understands borders, crime and lowering taxes. John Cox is the man _ he'll be the best Governor you've ever had," the president said.
Cox said he was "honored and deeply grateful" for the endorsement.
"I am looking forward to working with (the president) to make California great again," Cox said in a statement. "Like the President, I'm businessman who knows how to get things done. We're going to secure the border, empower California small businesses, lower taxes, and make affordable."
Trump overwhelmingly lost California to Democrat Hillary Clinton in the 2016 presidential election. Clinton received nearly 8.8 million votes in the state compared to Trump's 4.5 million votes, but if Cox receives anything close to Trump's number, the votes should be more than enough to give him a second-place finish on June 5.
Trump's endorsement of Cox is a major blow to GOP rival Travis Allen, an assemblyman and the favorite in the race of many California conservatives.
Throughout the campaign, Allen has hammered Cox for admitting that he did not vote for Trump in the 2016 presidential election, instead supporting Libertarian Gary Johnson because he said he didn't trust that Trump was a true conservative. Cox has since said he regretted that vote, saying he has been pleased by Trump's actions in office such as the tax overhaul, though he wishes the president would tweet less.
Allen voted for Trump, and often boasts that he's the only major candidate in the governor's race to have done so. But Allen has struggled to raise money for his campaign while Cox, a wealthy businessman, has poured more than $4 million of his own money into his gubernatorial bid.
"The face that Allen does not have the funds to compete makes this significant," Republican political consultant Rob Stutzman said. "Allen can't really counter it effectively."
During a debate earlier this month, Democratic front-runner Gavin Newsom was asked by moderator Chuck Todd who he would prefer to face in the general election. The lieutenant governor said he hoped to battle a Republican, presumably because of the large edge Democrats have in voter registration in California, and because a Republican was last elected statewide in 2006.
"A Republican would be ideal in the general election," Newsom said with a grin, then glanced over at Cox and Allen. "Either one of these would do."
"Be careful what you wish for, Gavin," Cox said.
