ELECTION/GOP/TRUMP AS PRESIDENT/TRUMP PEOPLE/WOMEN: “President Trump moved on Friday [6-22-18] to leave an even deeper mark on Republican primary season, boosting a personal ally who is running for governor of Florida and extending political clemency to a former critic, Representative Martha Roby of Alabama, who is in a difficult race for re-election. Ms. Roby has faced criticism from the right since withdrawing her endorsement of Mr. Trump in the closing weeks of the 2016 presidential election, after the release of the ‘Access Hollywood’ recording that showed Mr. Trump boasting about groping women. Alabama Republicans declined to re-nominate her in a primary election earlier this month, forcing her instead into a July 17 runoff vote. Mr. Trump is not known for showing mercy toward political detractors, but he gave Ms. Roby his stamp of approval on Friday morning, tweeting that she had been a ‘consistent and reliable vote for our Make America Great Again Agenda.’ And he took aim at Ms. Roby’s challenger, Bobby Bright, a former Democratic member of Congress who switched parties to run against her. Ms. Roby has tried for more than a year to smooth over her relationship with Mr. Trump, and Republican congressional leaders had appealed to the White House for help even earlier in her fight for re-election. A mainstream conservative from the state’s Southeast corner, Ms. Roby is one of only a handful of Republican women serving in the House, a number of whom are retiring or seeking statewide office.”
-Alexander Burns and Jonathan Martin, “Trump, Doling Out Endorsements, Embraces Former Critic in Alabama Race,” The New York Times online, June 22, 2018