Trump endorses former Irving mayor Beth Van Duyne in heated Texas congressional primary

Beth Van Duyne, the former mayor of Irving, has secured the biggest endorsement any Republican congressional candidate can hope for.

President Donald Trump, in a tweet Wednesday, said Van Duyne had his support in the March 3 primary for Texas’ 24th Congressional District.

Van Duyne “did Great things as Mayor of Irving, Texas, with my Administration. She is a Strong Conservative who supports Border Security, Loves our Military, Vets, and supports your #2A. Beth has my Full Endorsement for Congress!” Trump tweeted.

Van Duyne spent about two years as a regional director at the housing department. She resigned to run for the seat vacated by fellow Republican Kenny Marchant.

“I’m honored to have President Trump supporting our campaign and asking people to get on board so we can win the Republican primary and succeed in the general election,” Van Duyne said in a statement. “It’s time we had a Congress that works as hard as our president to deliver solutions for the American people to stop drug cartels and human traffickers, lower the costs and expand the options for health care, and grow our economy so more Americans have better job opportunities with higher wages.”

Van Duyne is considered the front-runner in the packed primary that includes former Green Beret and businessman Desi Maes, realtors Sunny Chaparala and Jeron Liverman, and property manager David Fegan.

The congressional district runs from Hurst to Carrollton and includes Irving and Grapevine. Local and national political observers widely consider the suburban seat up for grabs, a stunning evolution given Marchant won the seat handily just four years ago.

At least two of Van Duyne’s Democratic rivals sized on the president’s tweet. Both Candace Valenzuela, a former Carrollton-Farmers Branch school board member, and Kim Olson, a Air Force veteran, fired off fundraising requests following Trump’s endorsement.