'Vaping congressman' endorses Donald Trump

REUTERS/Jim Young

Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump apparently has a new supporter: the "vaping congressman."

Politico reported Wednesday that Rep. Duncan Hunter would be supporting Trump's presidential bid, becoming the second member of Congress to officially back the real-estate mogul.

"I've liked Trump since the beginning," the California congressman said, according to Politico. "I think you have more Trump supporters in Congress. They just have to come out of the closet, so to speak."

Hunter made headlines earlier this month after whipping out his vaporizer during a congressional hearing to protest a bill that would ban vaping on airplanes.

A video of Hunter vaping quickly went viral, as sites like Gawker dubbed him the "vaping congressman," and even examined his financial connections to the e-cigarette industry. Other news outlets also picked up the moniker.

Though some political experts have long maintained that prominent party leaders exert enormous influence over who becomes the eventual presidential nominee, Trump's dominance of early nominating states has come despite almost no institutional support in Washington.

If Trump continues to rack up major wins, that could soon change. 

New York Rep. Chris Collins also announced his support for Trump on Wednesday following the Nevada caucuses.

NOW WATCH: This botched intro was the most entertaining moment of the GOP debate