On Tuesday, President Donald Trump’s endorsed candidates had one of their roughest primary nights this cycle.
All told, three Trump-backed candidates wound up losing in races in Florida and Wyoming this week.
They included Rep. Cory Mills (R-Fla.), an embattled House lawmaker who’s faced allegations of sexual misconduct, domestic violence and campaign finance violations. Mills, who has denied wrongdoing, lost to former television journalist Ryan Elijah in a primary for the state’s 7th district.
Catalina Lauf, the co-founder of a children’s health company and a proponent of the Make America Healthy Again movement, similarly fell short in a primary for Florida’s 19th district, where she was defeated by businessman Jim Schwartzel.
And Wyoming Superintendent of Public Instruction Megan Degenfelder, Trump’s pick for the state’s gubernatorial race, also lost to state Sen. Eric Barlow.
On Wednesday, Trump moved swiftly to soften the blow by publicly declaring that he had told Mills to “get out of the Race, but he wouldn’t listen.”
Tuesday’s defeats bring the total number of losses by Trump endorsees for Congress and statewide office to 10 this year, according to The Washington Post. As CNN’s Aaron Blake reported, that’s nearing the number of losses that Trump saw in 2022, which was his worst year for endorsements. That cycle, 12 of his favored candidates were defeated in primaries for these roles.
As Trump himself likes to brag, the overwhelming majority of the candidates he’s supported have won their primaries. In August races so far, 67 of the candidates Trump endorsed have won, while six have lost, per an NBC News analysis.
“President Trump’s endorsement is the most powerful endorsement in the history of American politics. Anyone claiming otherwise is a complete and utter fool,” White House spokesperson Allison Schuster said in a statement. “The President’s record speaks for itself: out of more than 260 endorsements, the President has a 97% success rate. President Trump is committed to maintaining Republican majorities in Congress and continuing to lower costs for working families.”
Still, the recent defeats highlight the limitations of the president’s endorsement and show that his influence isn’t always sufficient to counter fundamental problems a candidate might have. Additionally, they suggest that his sway could be waning amid discontent with his presidency even among members of his own party.
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In addition to the trio of candidates this week, other Trump endorsees who’ve been defeated include a handful of House candidates and several gubernatorial prospects.
Earlier this month, Rep. Andy Ogles (R-Tenn.), a lawmaker who drew widespread backlash for his Islamophobic statements and a now-deleted homophobic social media post, lost in Tennessee’s 5th district to Charlie Hatcher, the state’s former agriculture commissioner. Amir Hassan, a Navy veteran and former law enforcement officer, also lost a House primary in Michigan’s 8th district to Thomas Smith, a retired General Motors engineer who’d previously suspended his campaign.
At the state level, Sid Miller is among the candidates who fell short, losing his primary for Texas agriculture commissioner to Nate Sheets, the founder of a raw honey company.
Five of the other endorsees were all running in various governor’s races. Rep. Randy Feenstra lost the Iowa gubernatorial primary to businessman Zach Lahn, who secured the support of members of the MAHA movement. Lieutenant Gov. Burt Jones, who backed Trump’s efforts to overturn 2020 election results in the state, lost the Georgia gubernatorial primary to billionaire businessman Rick Jackson.
And South Carolina Lieutenant Gov. Pam Evette lost the state’s gubernatorial runoff to South Carolina Attorney General Alan Wilson. Trump had initially endorsed Evette before the primary, only to issue a dual endorsement of both her and Wilson after the race went to a runoff.
MyPillow founder and election denier Mike Lindell was similarly defeated in the Minnesota gubernatorial primary by Minnesota House Speaker Lisa Demuth.
The president’s influence will soon face another test in a South Carolina special election as well. Trump has heavily touted Sen. Darline Graham (R-S.C) as a long-term replacement for her brother, the late Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-S.C.), and is expected to rally with her publicly this Friday.
That’s despite her lack of experience in elected office, including recent comments she made when she admitted that she was “not that informed on national security.” Graham will face sitting Rep. Ralph Norman (R-S.C.) in a runoff next week.