Snubbed by Trump, GOP candidates fighting for re-election act like they have his backing anyway

By Fox News · Fox News

President Donald Trump 's overall poll numbers are sliding, but among Republicans, the president's approval ratings remain sky-high. Trump's grip on a Republican Party he reshaped over the past decade remains extremely firm, and his endorsements in GOP primaries are highly influential. "The Trump endorsement is king in any primary," longtime Republican strategist and communicator Jesse Hunt told Fox News Digital. Veteran GOP consultant Matt Gorman highlighted that a "Trump endorsement is extremely powerful... it’s an undeniable force." So what should a Republican running for re-election who is facing primary challenge from a Trump-backed candidate do to survive? REPUBLICANS WIN BUT DEMOCRATS ALSO CLAIM VICTORY WITH BALLOT BOX SURGE IN TRUMP TERRITORY In two high-profile cases this year, incumbents fighting for their political lives are trying to make it appear the president is supporting them anyway. Sen. Bill Cassidy of Louisiana is facing primary challenges from two Republicans in next month's primary: Rep. Julia Letlow and former Rep. John Fleming, who is currently the state treasurer. Trump earlier this year weighed into the race by endorsing Letlow. Cassidy was one of only seven Senate Republicans who voted in early 2021 to convict Trump after he was impeached by the House for his role in the violent Jan. 6 attack on the U.S. Capitol by supporters who aimed to upend congressional certification of former President Joe Biden's 2020 election victory. Trump was acquitted by the Senate. But since the start of Trump's second term 15 months ago, Cassidy has been supportive of the president's agenda and his nominees. In his first campaign commercial after Trump endorsed Letlow, Cassidy, a doctor, highlighted a bill he authored that passed into law and increases penalties for criminals convicted of manufacturing and distributing fentanyl. "President Trump said it was the most important legislation he would sign this year," the senator said in the spot under pictures of…