This Trump ally is 'trying a new role' in efforts to unseat incumbent Dems: report

Back in 2016, right-wing radio host and Daily Wire publisher Ben Shapiro was highly critical of Donald Trump and said he would never vote for him. But he endorsed Trump in the 2020 election and is supporting him again in 2024, although Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis was his first choice in the GOP presidential primary.

In an article published on Labor Day 2024, Politico's Alex Isenstadt reports that Shapiro has recently been "trying a new role: Republican fundraiser."

Shapiro, according to Isenstadt, is "slated to fundraise" for several Republican U.S. Senate candidates — including Dave McCormick in Pennsylvania, Bernie Moreno in Ohio, Eric Hovde in Wisconsin, Tim Sheehy in Montana, and Sam Brown in Nevada. All of them are trying to unseat incumbent Democratic senators, but Shapiro is also helping an incumbent Republican: Sen. Ted Cruz (R-Texas), who is being challenged by Democratic Rep. Colin Allred.

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"The move represents a shift for the 40-year-old Shapiro in his evolution as a conservative media personality, as Republican candidates seek to parlay his influence into cash," Isenstadt explains. "And it shows how an ascendent generation of conservative podcasters have emerged as behind-the-scenes players in Republican politics, especially among young people who don't view previous GOP media figures like Bill O'Reilly or Sean Hannity with as much deference as their parents or grandparents."

Cruz noted that Shapiro reaches a lot of younger Republicans, telling Politico that "people who would never turn on Fox News listen to Ben Shapiro regularly."

But Isenstadt points out that Shapiro can be a very polarizing figure.

"Shapiro's style has drawn the ire of liberals, who have derided Shapiro as toxic," the Politico reporter explains. "In July, 'Daily Show' host Jon Stewart criticized Shapiro for saying (Vice President Kamala) Harris owed her rise to her past romance with ex-San Francisco Mayor Willie Brown…. And tapping Shapiro is not without risk for Republicans seeking to win over moderates in November, given his controversial remarks on race and ethnicity."

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Read Politico's full article at this link.