The MAGA movement has its sights set on expanding into governors’ mansions around the country.
A select group of well-known supporters of President Trump are eyeing gubernatorial races as a strategy to broaden the MAGA agenda beyond Capitol Hill. They also see it as a way to prepare for possible higher political ambitions in the future.
These ambitions stretch past 2028, when Vice President Vance and Secretary of State Marco Rubio are seen as leading contenders for the Republican presidential nomination.
That’s left some on the up-and-coming GOP bench going local.
Individuals such as Rep. Byron Donalds in Florida, Sen. Marsha Blackburn in Tennessee, Vivek Ramaswamy in Ohio, Rep. Andy Biggs in Arizona, and Rep. Nancy Mace in South Carolina are all campaigning for governor positions in their respective states.
“This seems like the next step for the movement,” a GOP operative familiar with White House tactics shared with The Hill. “Many who rose through the movement recognize there’s more to it than staying in Congress for decades; it’s about governing a state.”
According to Republican insiders, several factors are influencing why so many of Trump’s allies are pursuing governors’ seats, especially those presently serving in Congress.
Those sources cite the deadlock that has stalled Washington, believing it’s simpler to enhance one’s visibility as a governor than as a congressional representative. They also mentioned the possibility of Republicans becoming the minority party after next year’s midterms, depending on the outcomes of ongoing redistricting efforts.
And sources noted those with aspirations to run for the White House or serve in a Cabinet position are likely better off gaining experience running a state and racking up policy wins in the meantime.
That is especially true given Vance and Rubio appear poised to dominate the conversation about who will serve as the GOP nominee in 2028, forcing other prospective candidates to wait until 2032 or later for their shot at the nomination.
“Not necessarily for 2028, what it does say is Byron, Vivek are both young guys,” the GOP operative close to the White House said. “They can go run two of the biggest states in the country for eight years and be national players for 20 years after that. I think it’s smart of some of these younger guys.”
Trump already has some GOP allies serving as governors around the country.
Arkansas Gov. Sarah Huckabee Sanders served as a former spokesperson in Trump’s first term. South Carolina Gov. Harry McMaster was an early Trump supporter. Texas Gov. Greg Abbott and Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis have been at the forefront of implementing Trump’s immigration agenda in their states.
Other than Sanders, DeSantis and a few others, a limited number of GOP governors came to prominence alongside Trump or have been part of his political movement from the start. That could change, depending on the outcome of looming gubernatorial elections in the next 16 months.
Donalds served in the Florida House of Representatives during Trump’s first term, and he was elected to Congress in 2020 when Trump was on the presidential ballot. He was one of Trump’s most prominent surrogates during his criminal trial and on the campaign trail in 2024.
Blackburn was first elected to the Senate in 2018, tying herself closely to Trump and campaigning alongside him to defeat former Gov. Phil Bredesen (D).
During his 2024 presidential bid, Ramaswamy frequently praised Trump and leaned into the same populist, outsider appeals Trump used to great success during his first campaign. Ramaswamy was later tapped as a co-leader of the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) alongside Elon Musk, though Ramaswamy left the effort once Trump took office.
Biggs was first elected to the House in 2016, the same year Trump first appeared on the ballot. He has echoed Trump’s rhetoric on immigration and other issues, including claims that the 2020 election was fraudulent.
Mace has had a complicated relationship with Trump and the MAGA movement. She worked on Trump’s 2016 campaign, but Trump endorsed a primary challenger against Mace in 2022 after she was critical of Trump’s role in the Jan. 6, 2021, attack on the Capitol. She teased her gubernatorial campaign with a video highlighting Trump’s past praise for her.
Trump has already endorsed Donalds in Florida and Ramaswamy in Ohio. He jointly endorsed Biggs and Karrin Taylor Robson in Arizona. He has yet to weigh in on the gubernatorial races in Tennessee or South Carolina.
Those are two races where a backing by Trump could tip the scales.
“Trump is more popular right now among the Republican base than anybody this century. If you know you can get that endorsement, now is the time to cash in,” one White House ally told The Hill.
