Trump endorses GOP rival of Texas pastor who ran against him in 2024

As early voting gets underway in Texas, President Donald Trump has thrown his support behind a U.S. Air Force veteran in a crowded GOP primary for a newly redrawn congressional district. 

The president’s endorsement of Jace Yarbrough in the 32nd Congressional District is likely to deliver a high-profile boost that notably bypasses fellow candidate Ryan Binkley, a pastor and businessman who previously challenged Trump in the 2024 GOP presidential race.

In addition to Yarbrough and Binkley, seven other Republican candidates for the 32nd District seat are also competing in the March 3 primary: James Ussery, Darrell Day, Paul Bondar, Gordon Heslop, Monty Montanez, Abteen Vaziri and Aimee Carrasco.

Redrawn by state lawmakers in 2025, the 32nd District has shifted dramatically from Democratic-leaning to solidly Republican territory. The congressional seat — currently held by Rep. Julie Johnson, D-Texas, since 2025 and previously held by former Democrat Rep. Colin Allred, who is now seeking defeat his successor in the Democratic Primary in a bid to return to Congress — spans parts of Dallas, Collin and Rockwall counties in the Dallas-Fort Worth metroplex, and extends eastward into Hunt, Rains, Wood, Camp and Upshur counties.

Trump's endorsement posted Monday on Truth Social praises Yarbrough lavishly as an "America First Patriot" who has the president’s “complete and total endorsement.”

Trump also praised Yarbrough’s ability to “create jobs, cut taxes and regulations, promote MADE IN THE U.S.A., unleash American energy dominance, and champion our nation’s Golden Age.”

Yarbrough, a U.S. Air Force veteran and constitutional law attorney, has positioned himself as a staunch defender of constitutional freedoms and the America First agenda. His campaign website highlights his resistance to the COVID-19 vaccine mandate during his military service as evidence of his willingness to fight for conservative principles. Yarbrough previously ran for Texas Senate District 30 in 2024 but lost in a runoff.

The endorsement from Trump comes as a clear signal in a field that includes Binkley, the founder and senior pastor of Create Church and CEO of mergers and acquisitions firm Generational Group. Binkley entered the race with a kickoff event in September and boasts endorsements from Evangelical figures such as First Liberty Institute’s Kelly Shackelford, Faith and Freedom Coalition founder Ralph Reed, and various pastors and community leaders.

The Christian Post requested comment from the campaigns of Binkley and Yarbrough, and will update this article if responses are received. 

Binkley gained minor national attention in 2024 as Trump's only challenger on the Nevada GOP caucus ballot, where he received 381 votes compared to Trump's overwhelming dominance of more than 99% of the vote. He later dropped out of the presidential race and endorsed Trump.

Early voting in Texas began Tuesday, with the primary set for March 3. 

While Trump has already weighed in on the 32nd District race, the president has yet to signal who will ultimately earn his support in a Republican Senate primary race in Texas that features three GOP figures who are closely aligned with Trump.

In a late-night exchange Monday with reporters aboard Air Force One, Trump said the race still has “a ways to go” between incumbent Sen. John Cornyn and challengers Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton and U.S. Rep. Wesley Hunt, according to The Hill.