Alabama Gov. Kay Ivey got a peculiar shoutout during Sunday's broadcast of NBC's "Meet the Press."
Maryland Gov. Larry Hogan (R), known for breaking ranks with former President Donald Trump, was asked about the former president's influence on contests by "Meet the Press" moderator Chuck Todd.
"You know, you're in this awkward spot, and I know you work with a lot of these governors' races around the country," Todd said. "Gov. Kemp was able to push back [on] Trump influence. But you look at what's happening in Arizona, and there's a fight there. You look at what's happening in Maryland. You have a fight there. You look at what's happening in Michigan, and there's no anti-Trump candidate because of some really bad campaign tactics, if you will. You win some, you lose some. Arizona and Michigan are pretty tough ones to lose, no?"
Hogan fired back by acknowledging Kemp's Republican primary victory against former U.S. Sen. David Perdue (R-Ga.), a Trump-backed candidate. He also said four others faced Trump's wrath, including incumbent Idaho Gov. Brad Little (R) and Alabama's own Ivey.
"Well, I agree, but it's an example of the fact that Trump's influence is diminishing," Hogan replied. "So I'm on the RGA [Republican Governor's Association] executive committee. There are five different governors where Trump was attacking them. All of them won. I mean, I went down and did events for Brian Kemp. A couple of my staffers were down working in his campaign. Brian Kemp won by 52 points. And Brad Little won. And Kay Ivey won. And a number of other -- all the incumbent governors that Trump went after have won their primaries."
Trump never publicly attacked Ivey, nor did he endorse any of her opponents in this year's Republican gubernatorial primary. However, there was some speculation Ivey and Trump had fallen out of sorts after Ivey declined to intervene in the USS Alabama Battleship Commission's decision not to allow Trump to hold a rally at the USS Alabama park last year.
However, Ivey showcased her relationship with Trump in a TV commercial for her reelection campaign.
To connect with the author of this story, or to comment, email jeff.poor@1819News.com.
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