Trump's endorsement goes to ... David Schweikert? That's a stunner.

President Donald Trump has endorsed Rep. David Schweikert over a far-Trumpier opponent.

Anybody see that one coming?

Schweikert is the Arizona congressman who doesn’t slobber all over Donald Trump. He’s the lone Republican in the state’s congressional delegation who voted to accept the Arizona’s election results (though he hedged his bets by voting to reject the results from Pennsylvania.)

He’s the guy who rarely shows up when Trump comes to town. The one who doesn’t run around railing about a stolen election or pay to hold fundraisers at Mar-a-Lago.

In other words, a guy who should be out of the running for Trump's endorsement.

But Schweikert is also a saavy politician who knows he best not wander too far from the altar of Trump. Last year, he defended the Jan. 6 insurrectionists.

“I don’t believe many of these people had malice in their souls, I don’t think they had malice in their hearts,” he told a far-right radio host in a September interview.

Schweikert is in a three-way primary contest that includes one of the Trumpiest candidates of all.

Josh Barnett has been chasing Trump’s approval for two years, ever since his failed bid to oust Democratic Rep. Ruben Gallego. Barnett has been endorsed by both Kari Lake and Mark Finchem, Trump's picks for governor and secretary of state, and he's never met an election conspiracy theory that he didn’t spread.

And yet here comes Trump, issuing his highly coveted seal of approval to …. David Schweikert?

I would seem Kari Lake’s recommendations don’t count for much with the former president, who called Schweikert a “tireless advocate” for Arizona and a “principled conservative.”

Count Schweikert as “honored”.

And, I would guess, shocked at his good fortune. A Trump endorsement may not be what it used to be but it’s still better to have it than not in GOP circles. The six-term congressman has been getting pummeled by the far better-funded Elijah Norton for past ethical violationis ($50,000 fine) and recent campaign-finance violations ($125,000 fine). No doubt, he expected Barnett to get Trump’s support.

Clearly, Barnett did, too.

“I actually thought it was a joke when it was initially brought to my attention,” he tweeted on Thursday evening.

I’m guessing the only one laughing is a relieved Schweikert, who despite being out funded and out MAGA’d snagged the political gold.

“If Schweikert is soliciting the Trump, then I think it shows that he’s more worried about the primary than most people thought he would be,” longtime Republican consultant Nathan Sproul told me. "He clearly thinks he's in trouble in the primary."

"I think it puts the race to bed," GOP consultant Chuck Coughlin said. "He’s got the prize. He’s got the crazies."

Of course, a Trump endorsement is sure to hurt Schweikert in the general election, where the GOP winner will face either Jevin Hodge or Adam Metzendorf. Schweikert’s redrawn northeast Valley district is perhaps the state’s most competitive, leaning just oh-so-slightly Republican.

But in a year in which nothing is going right for Democrats?

Let's just say I like Schweikert's chances. 

Reach Roberts at laurie.roberts@arizonarepublic.com. Follow her on Twitter at @LaurieRoberts.

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