Rep. Diana Harshbarger (R-Tenn.) has declared her support for former President Donald Trump’s White House bid in 2024.
In a statement released the evening of April 16, the second-term congresswoman said she wants the country to “return to the conservative values and leadership that once made America great.”
“As we face unprecedented challenges that threaten the American way of life, it’s clear that the Biden administration has failed us,” her campaign said. “Our economy teeters on the brink of recession, and we risk losing an entire generation to drug overdose deaths exacerbated by an open border. Meanwhile, Democrat-run cities and states have allowed lawlessness to become the norm, and corrupt judicial systems have made criminals into victims.”
“But there is hope,” the statement continued, praising Trump’s “proven track record of delivering results and putting America First.”
“He has done it before, and he can do it again,” she said. “As an American who values proven leadership, I am proud to give my complete and full endorsement to President Trump. I urge my fellow East Tennesseans to join me in supporting him as we work to make America the greatest country the world has ever known once again.”
A longtime pharmacist, Harshbarger was first elected to represent Upper East Tennessee in the House of Representatives in 2020. She won reelection last year in a landslide, garnering over 78 percent of the vote.
“We can return to the conservative values and leadership that once made America great,” she said of Trump’s campaign.
Senators’ Endorsements
Both of Tennessee’s senators—Republicans Marsha Blackburn and Bill Hagerty—have declared their support for Trump’s 2024 bid.“Under President Trump, our economy was booming, gas prices were low, and inflation was under control. Our border was secure, our adversaries feared us, & our military was strong. I am proud to endorse Donald Trump for President and can’t wait until he’s back in the White House,” Blackburn wrote on Twitter on April 17.
Blackburn’s endorsement followed that of Hagerty, who served as the 45th president’s ambassador to Japan before entering the race for the 2020 Republican nomination for Tennessee’s open U.S. Senate seat. Earning Trump’s early support made Hagerty a clear favorite in the crowded primary and eventually secured him the party’s nomination in the deeply red state.
“It is my honor to give my whole-hearted endorsement to Donald J. Trump to be the next President of the United States,” Hagerty said in the message, returning the favor. “I was honored to previously serve in his Administration.”
“President Trump stood up against Communist China, brought an end to Obama’s failed approach of ‘leading from behind,’ and revived our military and law enforcement as they witnessed support from their Commander-in-Chief that had been lacking—and has now gone missing again after two years of Joe Biden’s presidency,” Hagerty wrote. “The mandate for a strong America has never been clearer, and I look forward to working again with President Trump to help our great nation find its way back from the precipice to the exceptional role we can and must play as a nation.”
Other senators who have announced their backing for Trump’s 2024 presidential bid are Sens. Ted Budd (R-N.C.), Cindy Hyde-Smith (R-Miss.), Lindsey Graham (R-S.C.), Tommy Tuberville (R-Ala.), Markwayne Mullin (R-Okla.), Eric Schmitt (R-Mo.), and J.D. Vance (R-Ohio).
