Rep. Derek Schmidt (R., Kansas) saw Austin Rogers’s work firsthand while Rogers served on the Senate Judiciary Committee as its chief counsel. Now, Schmidt wants Rogers to join him in Congress.
Days before Florida’s primary, Schmidt became the latest House Republican leader to endorse Rogers, which the Washington Reporter can exclusively confirm. “Austin Rogers will be a strong representative for Florida’s 2nd congressional district and I am proud to endorse him,” Schmidt said. “We need more conservatives in Congress who understand the Constitution and are ready to fight for it.”
Despite Schmidt only being a freshman in Congress, his endorsement carries weight because he spent over a decade serving as Kansas’s Attorney General; his faith in Rogers is likely to carry weight in what is currently a tossup race in the GOP primary to succeed Rep. Neal Dunn (R., Fla.).
While Rogers spent his time working across the Capitol from Schmidt, he worked with Republicans on the House Judiciary Committee; the committee’s chairman, Rep. Jim Jordan (R., Ohio), already endorsed Rogers’s campaign, as have top Republicans, like Rep. Steve Scalise (R., La.), Tom Emmer (R., Minn.), and more.
During his campaign, Rogers has leaned on his years working as a counsel the highest levels of Congress, for the Senate Judiciary Committee and for Sens. Rick Scott (R., Fla.), Chuck Grassley (R., Iowa), and Lindsey Graham (R., S.C.).
Rogers’s work as a staffer did not go unnoticed. “Austin has demonstrated his commitment to our most cherished constitutional values as a Chief Counsel, providing legal counsel at the forefront of our nation’s most important issues,” Schmidt added. “He has a fundamental understanding of congressional procedure and our nation’s founding principles, and he’s ready to hit the ground running. I look forward to welcoming him as a colleague.”
