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Politics

Donald Trump maintains high endorsement win rate in Republican primaries despite several losses

Trump-backed candidates have won all 24 Senate contests and the vast majority of House races, though five endorsed gubernatorial contenders have lost.

The short version

  • President Donald Trump has achieved a high win rate with his endorsements during this primary cycle, including a perfect 24-for-24 record in Senate primaries.
  • Trump-backed candidates won recent competitive primaries, such as Sen. Darline Graham in South Carolina's Senate race and Mike Mazzei in Oklahoma's gubernatorial primary.
  • Despite overall dominant results, five Trump-backed gubernatorial candidates and two endorsed House incumbents have lost their nomination bids this year.

Key facts

  • Trump-endorsed candidates won all 24 Senate primary races tracked by Fox News this cycle.[Fox News]
  • In House primaries, 214 out of 218 candidates backed by Trump won their races, though endorsed incumbents Reps. Andy Ogles and Cory Mills lost their renominations.[Fox News]
  • Trump-backed candidates won 16 of 21 gubernatorial primaries, while five endorsed contenders—Pamela Evette, Burt Jones, Randy Feenstra, Megan Degenfelder, and Mike Lindell—fell short.[Fox News]
  • Trump-endorsed Sen. Darline Graham defeated Rep. Ralph Norman in South Carolina's GOP Senate runoff after receiving campaign appearances, a tele-rally, and nearly $900,000 in super PAC support.[Fox News]

What remains uncertain

  • The degree to which individual candidate flaws or local race dynamics caused specific primary losses despite Trump's endorsement remains unquantified.[Fox News]

Sources