T.W. Shannon and Betsy McCaughey, both of whom have worked as hosts on Newsmax, discussed their political campaigns on Sunday, stressing their work to encourage conservative values in their states.
Shannon is running as a Republican for lieutenant governor of Oklahoma, while McCaughey has thrown her hat into the ring as the GOP candidate in Connecticut's gubernatorial race.
"We are thrilled over the moon about President [Donald] Trump's endorsement of our campaign," Shannon said of his efforts in Oklahoma on Newsmax's "Sunday Report."
"The fact that the president recognizes that he needs America First allies up and down the ballot in every state, it just shows you his commitment to the American people."
Shannon, a former Oklahoma House speaker and bank CEO, said his campaign is rooted in advancing Trump-aligned policies at the state level.
"We need people who are going to stand with the president on every turn," Shannon said.
He outlined what he called the "three C's" guiding his platform.
"It's capitalism. It's the Constitution, and it's Christianity. That's what made America great to start with. That's what's going to make Oklahoma even greater," Shannon said.
He added that he wants to focus on welfare reform and restoring fiscal discipline in the state.
"We're excited to reform things like welfare and also to make sure we're honing to our fiscal conservative roots," Shannon said.
McCaughey, meanwhile, highlighted her endorsement at this weekend's Conservative Political Action Conference as she runs for governor in Connecticut, a traditionally blue state.
"It made me feel wonderful. I am the conservative in the race in Connecticut," McCaughey said.
She emphasized strong support for Trump and urged Republicans in blue states to align with his leadership.
"We have a president who's the strongest, most fearless in our century, and we Republicans in blue states must not cower," McCaughey said.
McCaughey said her top policy priority is eliminating Connecticut's state income tax to reverse economic decline.
"I'm going to eliminate the state income tax in Connecticut and bring prosperity back to our state," she said.
She added that the plan would rely on limiting spending growth rather than cuts to existing services.
"We simply cap spending at current levels, and all new revenue that comes in is devoted to one thing: axing the tax," McCaughey said.
Both candidates framed their campaigns as part of a broader effort to advance conservative policies at the state level, with Shannon focusing on reinforcing Oklahoma's existing Republican foundation and McCaughey aiming to flip a blue state.
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