(FreedomBeacon.com)- Republican Senator Mike Lee is turning to his colleague in his home state to push him over the top and “help me win re-election.”
Lee, from Utah, pleaded for an official endorsement from Mitt Romney, the other senator from Utah. While Romney is a Republican colleague of Lee’s, he has often sided with Democrats on issues — including voting to convict former President Donald Trump during his second impeachment trial.
Still, Lee is hoping that Romney will endorse him as a way to help his case with just a few weeks before the midterm elections.
Speaking to Tucker Carlson on Fox News Tuesday night, Lee said:
“Well, I’ve asked him. I’m asking him right here, again, tonight, right now. Mitt, if you’d like to protect the Republican majority, give us any chance of seizing the Republican majority, once again, getting it away from the Democrats, who are facilitating this massive spending spree in a massive inflationary binge, please get on board.”
Lee has served two terms as a senator from Utah. He’s running for re-election against Evan McMullin, who’s running as an independent candidate. McMullin, who once served as a CIA officer, has been making waves in recent weeks.
This is part of the reason why Lee is making these public pleas for Romney’s support. He added when talking with Carlson:
“You can get your entire family to donate to me for leeforsenate.com. I’d invite all of your viewers to do the same because this is a race that’s getting closer and closer, because Evan McMullin continues to raise millions of dollars from progressive Democratic donors nationwide who are hell bent on getting rid of me and replacing him with Evan McMullin.”
The Cook Political Report, a non-partisan site that handicaps all major elections, rates the Lee-McMullin race as “likely Republican.” That being said, other polling has suggested in recent weeks that the race is getting tighter by the day in the lead up to the election in early November.
A recent poll published by the Deseret News-Hinckley Institute of Politics shows Lee has a lead over McMullin of only 41% to 37%. That’s within most poll’s margin for error. If it’s indeed a reflection of voters’ feelings, then the race could go either way.
Romney has remained relatively quiet on this front. Earlier in the year, he said that he might end up endorsing a candidate in this specific election. When speaking with the Desert News, though, he also said he might not endorse anyone, since he’s friends with the people who are running.
As Romney said back in March:
“I don’t think endorsements make any difference in a race to speak of. People in the race are my friends. I usually try and avoid situations where they’ve been friends. I may endorse and I may not, but I really haven’t given it any thought at this point.”
Romney has no direct skin in the game during this election cycle, as his term in the Senate doesn’t expire until 2025.
