In this week’s primary elections, some of Donald Trump’s endorsed candidates faced rare losses. In Utah, Republican Rep. John Curtis defeated Trump’s chosen candidate Trent Staggs by 20 points to take over Mitt Romney’s open Senate seat. Staggs lost despite Trump’s endorsement, highlighting Curtis’ criticism of the former president. Similarly, in South Carolina, ultra-conservative pastor Mark Burns, endorsed by Trump in April, lost his House runoff race to Republican Sherri Biggs.
In Colorado, Dave Williams, endorsed by Trump in March, was defeated by conservative commentator Jeff Crank by 30 points. These three losses are only the second, third and fourth times a Trump-endorsed candidate has lost a race for a federal position this election cycle. However, it is not all bad news for Trump as two other candidates are still in danger of being added to his list of failures. The race for Utah’s second congressional district is too close to call with Trump-backed incumbent Rep. Celeste Maloy leading by just 3 points and in Virginia, John McGuire is less than one point ahead of his challenger in the Republican primary with the possibility of a recount.
Overall, the recent losses of Trump-endorsed candidates highlight the unpredictability of primary elections and the impact of candidates’ own platforms and positions on voters. While Trump’s endorsement can provide a boost to certain candidates’ campaigns, it is not always a guarantee of success for congressional candidates as seen in these recent races.
