Miguez Faces Questions Over Trump Endorsement as Congressional Plans Remain Unclear
State Sen. Blake Miguez’s congressional ambitions are facing growing uncertainty as new national reporting raises questions about whether President Donald Trump’s previous endorsement will follow Miguez into whichever district he ultimately chooses to run.
Politico reported Friday that Trump’s endorsement of Miguez was tied to Louisiana’s previous congressional map, creating uncertainty over whether the president will back him again now that the political landscape has changed. The development is particularly significant for Miguez, who made Trump’s endorsement a centerpiece of his congressional campaign and repeatedly emphasized his relationship with the president.
The problem for Miguez is that he now has to decide where exactly that campaign will be. Following the latest redistricting changes, Miguez is reportedly considering running in either the 5th or 6th Congressional District. He currently lives in neither district, leaving him in the unusual position of shopping for a congressional seat while trying to determine whether his most important endorsement will travel with him.
The Guardian reported that Miguez’s campaign now says it hopes to “earn” Trump’s endorsement once again after he decides which district to enter. While the White House has not formally rescinded Trump’s previous endorsement, the president’s team has also stopped short of guaranteeing that Miguez will receive his support in a new race.
It marks the latest turn in what has become an increasingly winding path to Congress for Miguez. He initially entered the U.S. Senate race against Sen. Bill Cassidy before abandoning that campaign after Trump endorsed Congresswoman Julia Letlow. Miguez then shifted to the 5th Congressional District and secured Trump’s backing there. Now, after another change to Louisiana’s congressional boundaries, Miguez is once again searching for where his political future might fit.
The uncertainty also comes as Miguez continues to deal with the fallout from national reporting surrounding a 2007 allegation made by a former girlfriend. Miguez has strongly denied the allegation, and no charges were filed, but reports indicated that members of Trump’s political operation were unaware of the matter when the president initially endorsed him.
For a candidate who has worked aggressively to portray himself as Louisiana’s strongest Trump ally, the situation presents an uncomfortable political reality. Miguez does not currently have a settled congressional district, does not have a guarantee that Trump will renew his endorsement, and could potentially enter a district where other Republicans have deeper geographic and political ties.
What once appeared to be a congressional campaign built around the strength of a presidential endorsement has instead become a political waiting game. Miguez must now choose which district to enter, convince voters that he belongs there, and hope that the endorsement that helped launch his first congressional campaign follows him into the next one.
