Topline
Former President Donald Trump’s power as a Republican kingmaker appears more in question than ever after a dismal night for many of his endorsed candidates in Georgia, highlighted by a landslide loss in the GOP gubernatorial primary, but Trump on Wednesday still claimed “a very big and successful evening of political Endorsements.”
Former President Donald Trump cannot contain his delight at the Conservative Political Action … [+] Conference (CPAC) held in the Hyatt Regency on February 28, 2021, in Orlando, Florida.
Joe Raedle/Getty Images
Key Facts
Incumbent Governor Brian Kemp walloped Trump-backed former Senator David Perdue by a margin of 73.7% to 21.8% in the GOP primary for governor, one of the highest-profile races of the midterm primary season.
Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger, who Trump asked to “find” votes to overturn the election results, also held off a Republican primary challenge from Trump-backed opponent Rep. Jody Hice, winning by around 19 percentage points.
Down ballot, Attorney General Chris Carr (R) pummeled his Trump-endorsed challenger by more than 45 percentage points, while Trump’s pick for insurance commissioner attracted less than 17% of the vote in the GOP primary.
Two of Trump’s picks for open congressional seats in Georgia will head to GOP primary runoffs—both candidates placed second in the first round of voting.
One bright spot for Trump in Georgia was former football star Herschel Walker cruising to victory in the GOP Senate primary by nearly 55 percentage points—but polling before the election indicated he would win by even more.
Surprising Fact
Trump’s endorsement struggles seemed largely limited to Georgia. His preferred candidates swept contests in Alabama, Arkansas and Texas on Tuesday. Many ran unopposed.
Crucial Quote
“Overall for the ‘Cycle,’ 100 Wins, 6 Losses (some of which were not possible to win), and 2 runoffs,” Trump said on Truth Social.
Key Background
Trump made Kemp, Raffensperger and other GOP incumbents in Georgia some of his top targets to take down in the Republican primaries, repeatedly attacking them for refusing to overturn his loss in the state in the 2020 election. The tension in Georgia between Trump and GOP officials was expected to lead to highly combative, scorched-earth primary campaigns, but those never materialized, as voters chose to side with highly popular incumbents. Trump boasts of his successful endorsement record in the midterm primaries, but results in high-profile races have been, at best, mixed for the former president. His candidates won races like the Ohio Republican Senate primary, the Pennsylvania GOP gubernatorial primary and the North Carolina Republican Senate primary, but failed to win gubernatorial primaries in Idaho and Nebraska. Trump-backed Rep. Madison Cawthorn (R-N.C.) also lost the GOP primary for his House seat last week, in perhaps the biggest upset of the midterm primaries so far.
Further Reading
Georgia Gov. Brian Kemp Beats David Perdue In Latest Loss For A Trump-Backed Primary Challenger (Forbes)
Madison Cawthorn Loses GOP Primary Amid Controversies (Forbes)