Trump-endorsed candidates keep beating politicians at odds with President Donald Trump. The general election will test how well that translates to all voters.
WASHINGTON—In recent GOP primaries, President Donald Trump has had a Midas touch.
The candidates he endorsed against Sen. Bill Cassidy (R-La.), Rep. Thomas Massie (R-Ky.), multiple Indiana state lawmakers, and other Republican incumbents triumphed in high-profile contests.
“The defeat of Thomas Massie in Kentucky and the state legislators in Indiana once again demonstrates that President Trump’s active support is the most important thing in GOP primaries, as it has been for the past decade,” said Jim Bognet, a former Republican congressional candidate and partner with the Brunswick Group, in a text message to The Epoch Times.
David Carlucci, a political consultant and former Democratic state senator, agreed that Trump’s imprimatur matters a lot in primaries.
“For many GOP voters, loyalty to Trump remains one of the clearest signals of ideological alignment,” he said in a text message to The Epoch Times.
A few big questions remain. Who could Trump target next—and will his successes translate to victories in the general election amid sinking approval ratings and growing resistance to his agenda from Republican senators?
For now, Trump’s allies keep winning, while those he opposes keep losing.
Wes Farno, a Republican-aligned Ohio-based political consultant, told The Epoch Times in a text message that “the bigger question for Republicans going into 2026 is not whether President Trump can win a primary headline, it’s whether the coalition that showed up for him in 2024 will stay engaged when he is not personally on the ballot.”
He and others who spoke with The Epoch Times highlighted turnout, which could be more important than persuasion in hard-fought midterms.
Casualty List Grows
Cassidy, who voted to convict Trump in his second impeachment trial, joins the casualty list of most Republicans who backed that effort, including former representative Liz Cheney.
Many other Republicans who have resisted Trump’s moves are out of contention due to primary losses, leaving office, or opting against a reelection bid.
Rep. Dan Newhouse (R-Wash.), who voted for the second impeachment of Trump, is not running again.
The last House Republican impeachment supporter up for reelection, Rep. David Valadao (R-Calif.), is facing a tough reelection battle in his district, which was redrawn amid a nationwide redistricting battle.
Sen. Susan Collins, who joined Sen. Lisa Murkowski (R-Alaska) and others on that conviction vote, is likewise fighting for her political life against Graham Platner, the presumptive Democratic nominee.
Sen. Thom Tillis (R-N.C.), who broke with Trump on the One Big, Beautiful Bill Act, is leaving office at the end of his term.
Former representative Marjorie Taylor Greene, who departed Congress amid a highly publicized rift with Trump, was ultimately replaced by Trump-backed Rep. Clay Fuller (R-Ga.).
The latest outcomes show just how costly opposition to Trump can be for Republicans, at least in primaries.
Libertarian-leaning Massie is known for his willingness to vote “no” on GOP-backed bills out of concerns over spending.
He also clashed with fellow Republicans over the Epstein Files, Israel, and the Iran War.
Massie had overcome previous Republican challenges, including a 2020 race that came after Trump called to “throw Massie out of [the] Republican Party.”
This time, though, Trump and his allies threw significant weight behind Massie’s opponent, retired Navy SEAL Ed Gallrein, and against Massie.
That included Trump’s on-stage appearance alongside Gallrein at a Kentucky rally as well as most of the $33 million in ad spending in the race, which AdImpact Politics noted was the most expensive House primary in history.
“For candidates who embrace the endorsement, this opens the door for national dollars and support, as the president remains a prolific fundraiser,” Alexander Rauda, a senior associate with the nonpartisan consulting firm Actum Strategies, told The Epoch Times in an email.
Earlier in May, seven Republican incumbents who opposed GOP-led redistricting—a Trump priority ahead of the midterms—lost their primaries.
