Charges of fake Trump endorsement roil a GOP primary in New York

This summer, the New York State Conservative Party sent out a mailer to in-state voters supporting Republican congressional candidate Nick Langworthy that included the phrase “CHOSEN BY PRESIDENT TRUMP,” along with a photo of Langworthy with Trump in the Oval Office. And earlier this month the Langworthy campaign blasted out a fundraising text message that said “President Trump called on Nick Langworthy to lead Republicans in the fight against New York’s radical liberals.”

Technically, neither statement is factually incorrect. Trump did support Langworthy as New York’s GOP chairman.

But that was then. Langworthy is now seeking a different office. And Donald Trump has not actually endorsed him or anyone else in that race. That’s prompted complaints from fellow New York Republicans and the campaign of his primary challenger, businessman Carl Paladino, that Langowrthy’s text messages and direct mailers are deliberately deceiving voters.

It’s the latest bit of drama in the heated congressional primary race between Langworthy and Paladino to earn the Republican bid in New York’s 23rd Congressional District. And it echoes controversies that have been popping up in GOP primaries through the cycle.

Republicans in closely contested races have been racing to define themselves as the Trumpiest candidates in the field. They’ve vied for the former president’s endorsement, which is seen as a coveted way to get a boost in fundraising and bragging rights, and have gone so far as to spend money at his properties and hire aides who work with him in hopes of getting his backing.

In races where Trump has not yet endorsed or has decided to stay out, campaigns have tried to be clever about suggesting proximity to Trump or Trump’s support, showcasing photos with the former president, or making sure they’re spotted at Mar-a-Lago. It’s designed to give the impression of an endorsement. On occasion, it has angered Trump.

“It has not gone unnoticed in Trump world where nothing gets him angrier than falsely using Trump’s name to claim an endorsement,” said a Republican operative who works closely with Trump.

Multiple people close to Trump said the former president has been made aware of the Langworthy mailer and messages, as have Trump aides. A spokesperson for Trump did not comment on the record.

Michael Caputo, a close friend of Paladino’s (he ran his gubernatorial campaign), called the wording used by the Langworthy campaign “deceptive.”

“I find Nick’s flirtations with all the synonyms for ‘endorsed’ to be offensive. Because it’s clearly meant to confuse voters and that frankly is just not how we do things in Trump world,” said Caputo, a longtime political operative and former Trump administration spokesperson at the Department of Health and Human Services.

But Chris Grant, a consultant for the Langworthy campaign, said the language used by the campaign is “very accurate and specific.”

“Nick never implied that the president has endorsed him for Congress, he has way too much respect for him to do that,” Grant said. “I think for the Paladino campaign, who gets ‘tricked’ into praising Hitler and ‘tricked’ into hiring essentially child porn smugglers, they could easily get tricked about it. But I think normal intelligent voters know how to read.” Grant’s reference was to revelations earlier this month that Paladino had previously said Hitler was “the kind of leader we need today,” and once had a convicted sex offender on his company payroll who was employed as assistant treasurer for the campaign before being removed from the campaign and FEC filings.

Underneath “CHOSEN BY PRESIDENT TRUMP” on the Conservative Party mailer is the line, “Chosen by President Trump to lead Republicans in the fight against New York’s radical liberals, Nick Langworthy has a proven record of defeating Democrats and advancing our America First agenda.” A TV ad by the campaign is more specific: “When the New York Republican Party needed new leadership, President Trump called on me.”

This kind of political headache is nothing new for Trump world. Last year, Trump became annoyed upon finding out Lynda Blanchard, his ambassador to Slovenia and a Republican candidate for Senate in Alabama, was hyping her connections to the former president and leading some to believe he was backing her in the race. There was also the case of Jane Timken in Ohio touting a photo with Trump on her endorsements page even after he endorsed JD Vance in the Ohio GOP Senate primary.

Even in races where Trump has endorsed, the candidates who didn’t win his stamp of approval have still tried to tout a proximity to Trump.

Trump’s team at times has had to send cease and desist letters to candidates it feels is taking advantage of Trump’s name or image. According to The Washington Post, a letter was sent to Arizona Attorney General Mark Brnovich in June asking him to stop using Trump’s name and image in a misleading way.

The Republican primary in New York’s 23rd is taking place Aug. 23. It is one of the reddest districts in the state. And while it has pitted Langworthy against Paladino, it has extended beyond the two men. Rep. Elise Stefanik (R-N.Y.) has supported Paladino’s campaign while Rep. Jim Banks (R-Ind.) has supported Langworthy. The two are seen as rivals for House Republican Conference chair, and her support for Paladino, according to some House Republicans, could hurt her leadership ambitions, owing to the controversy that has surrounded Paladino. 

Paladino said he regretted the Hitler comments and he apologized for calling for first lady Michelle Obama to “return to being a male and let loose in the outback of Zimbabwe where she lives comfortably in a cave with Maxie, the gorilla.”

It is still unclear if Trump will wade into the primary.

“A battle between a very dear friend and an ally puts the president in a very difficult spot just like it did in the governor’s primary,” Caputo said. “When you use different synonyms for ‘endorsed’ and bend the rules so much, it offends anyone who tries to be in line with the president’s wishes. The president doesn’t like people doing this.”