Several other GOP senators told the Post they have not yet been lobbied by Hegseth or Trump, and officials close to the president-elect say that Trump will not make personal appeals on his behalf.

His or her personal appeal and mode of messaging has an enormous bearing on the morale of the party and shapes how the party and its causes are perceived by the electorate.

The campaigns in the California swing seats, however, are more grounded on local issues and the individual, personal appeal of the candidates.

“I simply cannot believe that Trump will ditch the Ukrainians,” Mr. Johnson wrote in a Daily Mail column that read like a personal appeal to the candidate.

Candidates have to find a way to quickly make “a personal appeal to voters as someone who is likable and connects to voters.”