{"id":2641943,"date":"2026-08-07T15:41:01","date_gmt":"2026-08-07T19:41:01","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/trump-primary-endorsement-losses-stack-up\/"},"modified":"2026-08-07T15:42:33","modified_gmt":"2026-08-07T19:42:33","slug":"trump-primary-endorsement-losses-stack-up","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/trump-primary-endorsement-losses-stack-up\/","title":{"rendered":"Trump primary endorsement losses stack up"},"content":{"rendered":"<aside class=\"mashsb-container mashsb-main mashsb-stretched\"><div class=\"mashsb-box\"><div class=\"mashsb-count mash-medium\" style=\"&quot;\"><div class=\"counts mashsbcount\">12<\/div><span class=\"mashsb-sharetext\">SHARES<\/span><\/div><div class=\"mashsb-buttons\"><a class=\"mashicon-facebook mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/sharer.php?u=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.conservativenewsdaily.net%2Fbreaking-news%2Ftrump-primary-endorsement-losses-stack-up%2F\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Facebook<\/span><\/a><a class=\"mashicon-twitter mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/intent\/tweet?text=&amp;url=https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/?p=2641943&amp;via=ConservNewsDly\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Twitter<\/span><\/a><a class=\"mashicon-subscribe mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"#\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Subscribe<\/span><\/a><div class=\"onoffswitch2 mash-medium mashsb-noshadow\" style=\"display:none\"><\/div><\/div>\n            <\/div>\n                <div style=\"clear:both\"><\/div><\/aside>\n            <!-- Share buttons by mashshare.net - Version: 4.0.47--><p>President Donald Trump&#8217;s influence as a kingmaker for the Republican Party faced setbacks this week, with two of his endorsed candidates losing primary races, including Rep. andy Ogles in Tennessee.Despite these defeats,Trump dismissed them,claiming his endorsees still performed well overall and that some candidates had little chance nonetheless of his support. Ogles&#8217;s loss too establishment-backed Charlie Hatcher, and other unsuccessful campaigns, highlight challenges to Trump&#8217;s dominance, as some races showed his endorsements were less effective.Notably, at least six of his endorsed candidates lost primaries this cycle, a higher number than in previous election years. Experts suggest these losses may reflect waning influence with grassroots voters, though Trump continues to push out critics within Congress. Polls indicate that while Trump maintains strong approval among Republicans, concerns around issues like the Iran war and internal party dissatisfaction suggest his grip might be weakening. while Trump remains a key figure in GOP politics,recent primary outcomes hint at shifting dynamics within the party base.  <\/p>\n<p class=\"readmore\">\n    <button onclick=\"showReadMore()\" id=\"readmorebtn\">Read more&#8230;<\/button>\n<\/p>\n<hr id=\"line\">\n<span id=\"more\"><\/p>\n<article class=\"fn-body\">\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">President <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/tag\/donald-trump\/\" data-type=\"post_tag\" data-id=\"4\">Donald Trump\u2019s<\/a> role as a kingmaker for the Republican Party hit a snag this week as two of his preferred candidates in primary races were defeated, including Rep. Andy Ogles (R-TN), bringing his loss total to six for the cycle.<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Trump, however, shrugged off the recent string of losses, suggesting neither stood a chance to win even with his backing.<\/p>\n<section class=\"explore-more-section\" id=\"wex-recommended-widget\">\n<div class=\"magazine-container single\">\n<h1 class=\"magazine-title mt-2\">Recommended Stories<\/h1>\n<p>             <i class=\"fa-solid fa-play icon\"><\/i>         <\/div>\n<div class=\"explore-grid\">\n<div class=\"explore-card\">                         <a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/news\/campaigns\/congressional\/4677523\/trump-kingmaker-reputation-damaged-primary-endorsement-losses\/?itm_source=parsely-api\">                             <\/p>\n<div class=\"explore-thumb-wrap\">                                                                                                                                  <\/div>\n<h3>Trump\u2019s role as kingmaker dented after two primary losses this week<\/h3>\n<p>                         <\/a>                     <\/div>\n<div class=\"explore-card\">                         <a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/news\/campaigns\/congressional\/4679239\/trump-midterm-election-war-chest-800-million\/?itm_source=parsely-api\">                             <\/p>\n<div class=\"explore-thumb-wrap\">                                                                                                                                  <\/div>\n<h3>Trump touts $800 million war chest in first election without his name at the top of the ticket<\/h3>\n<p>                         <\/a>                     <\/div>\n<div class=\"explore-card\">                         <a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/news\/campaigns\/congressional\/4679100\/hasan-piker-digital-footprint-creates-arsenal-gop\/?itm_source=parsely-api\">                             <\/p>\n<div class=\"explore-thumb-wrap\">                                                                                                                                  <\/div>\n<h3>Hasan Piker\u2019s <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/fop-slams-vulnerable-house-democrat-for-using-logo-in-mail\/\" title=\"FOP slams vulnerable House Democrat for using logo in mail\">digital footprint creates arsenal<\/a> for GOP<\/h3>\n<p>                         <\/a>                     <\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/section>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Ogles lost the primary race on Thursday to Charlie Hatcher, <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/tag\/tennessee\/\" data-type=\"post_tag\" data-id=\"600\">Tennessee\u2019s<\/a> former agricultural commissioner,\u00a0who was backed by establishment <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/tag\/republican\/\" data-type=\"post_tag\" data-id=\"926\">Republicans<\/a>, including Gov. Bill Lee.<\/p>\n<div class=\"wex-inarticle-ad wex-inarticle-ad-art-dsk-inart-1\">\n<div class=\"wex-ad-wrap wex-ad-art-dsk-inart-1\" style=\"min-height:90px\"><span class=\"wex-ad-label\" hidden>Advertisement<\/span><\/p>\n<div id=\"div-gpt-ad-3182201-15\" data-wex-ad=\"art-dsk-inart-1\"><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"article-paywall\">\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The Tennessee congressman had a history of controversial remarks, including claiming that Muslims are not welcome in American society and calling for the deportation of New York Mayor Zohran Mamdani, as well as stripping him of citizenship.<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Trump also suffered a separate embarrassing loss this week after Amir Hassan lost the Republican primary for <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/tag\/michigan\/\" data-type=\"post_tag\" data-id=\"655\">Michigan\u2019s<\/a> 8th Congressional District to Thomas J. Smith, a salsa mogul who had ended his campaign a month prior.<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">So far this midterm cycle, at least six Trump-backed candidates in statewide or federal races have lost their primaries. This figure is higher than his record in 2024, when four of his endorsees lost their primaries, and in 2020, when four candidates also lost their primaries.<\/p>\n<div class=\"wex-inarticle-ad wex-inarticle-ad-art-dsk-inart-2\">\n<div class=\"wex-ad-wrap wex-ad-art-dsk-inart-2\" style=\"min-height:90px\"><span class=\"wex-ad-label\" hidden>Advertisement<\/span><\/p>\n<div id=\"div-gpt-ad-3182201-16\" data-wex-ad=\"art-dsk-inart-2\"><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Lt. Gov. Burt Jones (R-GA), a Trump endorsee, lost the <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/tag\/georgia\/\" data-type=\"post_tag\" data-id=\"164\">Georgia<\/a> GOP gubernatorial primary to billionaire Rick Jackson in June. That same month, the MAHA-backed businessman Zach Lahn defeated Rep. Randy Feenstra (R-IA), whom Trump backed, in the <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/tag\/iowa\/\">Iowa<\/a> GOP gubernatorial primary, and Trump\u2019s pick in the GOP primary runoff for <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/tag\/south-carolina\/\" data-type=\"post_tag\" data-id=\"524\">South Carolina<\/a> governor, Lt. Gov. Pamela Evette, lost a runoff to state Attorney General Alan Wilson, though Trump co-endorsed Wilson shortly before the runoff. In March, Nate Sheets defeated Sid Miller, the incumbent<a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/tag\/texas\/\" data-type=\"post_tag\" data-id=\"253\"> Texas <\/a>agriculture commissioner,\u00a0in the Republican primary.<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Trump, however, downplayed the recent losses in a social media post on Friday, claiming Ogles was a flawed candidate.<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cLast night was another good night for Endorsements, 8-1, and the 1 was a person who I remained loyal to even though he had virtually no chance of winning, and was running against a Great \u2018Trump\u2019 Candidate, and former Agricultural Commissioner of Tennessee, named Charlie Hatcher,\u201d Trump wrote on Truth Social. \u201cGood luck Charlie! Run tough and hard. You have my Complete and Total Endorsement!\u201d<\/p>\n<div class=\"wex-inarticle-ad wex-inarticle-ad-art-dsk-inart-3\">\n<div class=\"wex-ad-wrap wex-ad-art-dsk-inart-3\" style=\"min-height:90px\"><span class=\"wex-ad-label\" hidden>Advertisement<\/span><\/p>\n<div id=\"div-gpt-ad-3182201-17\" data-wex-ad=\"art-dsk-inart-3\"><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The day after the Michigan primary, Trump dismissed Hassan\u2019s loss as an \u201coutlier\u201d in his track record of successes.<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cYou had a big election last night, and a lot of people running, and I endorsed a lot of candidates,\u201d Trump said while speaking in Las Vegas. \u201cAnd the end result, I was 28 wins and one loss.\u201d<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cIt was a little bit of a person that I thought was a good person, didn\u2019t have much of a chance,\u201d Trump said of Hassan. \u201cBut I said, \u2018I don\u2019t care. I\u2019m doing it anyway.\u2019 Good person, very good, very respected, but nobody knew who the person was.\u201d<\/p>\n<div class=\"wex-inarticle-ad wex-inarticle-ad-art-dsk-inart-4\">\n<div class=\"wex-ad-wrap wex-ad-art-dsk-inart-4\" style=\"min-height:90px\"><span class=\"wex-ad-label\" hidden>Advertisement<\/span><\/p>\n<div id=\"div-gpt-ad-3182201-25\" data-wex-ad=\"art-dsk-inart-4\"><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Christopher Nicholas, a veteran Republican political consultant, also pointed to Ogles\u2019s weaknesses as a key reason for his loss and not a reflection of Trump\u2019s power among the GOP base.<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cThat dolt in Tennessee would have lost by a bigger margin had the president not endorsed him,\u201d said Nicholas. \u201cHe could not raise money, which is odd for, you know, a several-term incumbent. He seemed to spend most of his time going out of his way to insult all different groups of people.\u201d<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">But there are warning signs that Trump\u2019s grip may be slightly dipping over the GOP despite his work ousting Rep. Thomas Massie (KY), Sen. Bill Cassidy (LA), and Sen. John Cornyn (TX) in their primaries.<\/p>\n<div class=\"wex-inarticle-ad wex-inarticle-ad-art-dsk-inart-5\">\n<div class=\"wex-ad-wrap wex-ad-art-dsk-inart-5\" style=\"min-height:90px\"><span class=\"wex-ad-label\" hidden>Advertisement<\/span><\/p>\n<div id=\"div-gpt-ad-3182201-26\" data-wex-ad=\"art-dsk-inart-5\"><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cThere are clearly some races where Trump just does not have the juice,\u201d said Matthew Dallek, a political historian at George Washington University. \u201cHe doesn\u2019t have the cachet to pull his candidate over the finish line.\u201d<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Feenstra, the Iowa Republican, could not overcome the support that Lahn received from the <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/tag\/maha\/\" data-type=\"post_tag\" data-id=\"11799\">Make America Healthy Again<\/a> movement, a burgeoning political movement aligned with Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr., and Nicholas suggested that Hassan, the Michigan candidate, may have been plagued by having a foreign-sounding name that contributed to his loss.<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">But Trump\u2019s work to push out congressional lawmakers who have sparked his ire, such as Cornyn, Massie, and Cassidy, also points to his continued dominance.<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">In a recent interview, Trump made it clear that while he had won his election in 2024, voters were frustrated with Republican lawmakers, not him.<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cA lot of them are very angry at Republicans to be very honest with you,\u201d Trump told<em> Punchbowl News<\/em>. \u201cI mean they\u2019re angry at Republicans but they\u2019re not angry with me.\u201d<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">A <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/www.documentcloud.org\/documents\/28520039-cnn-july-poll-conducted-by-ssrs\/\">CNN poll<\/a> released late last month showed 78% of Republicans approved of his job as president, while 22% disapproved, a stark improvement from the 34% who approved and 66% who disapproved. But concerns about the war in Iran and the subsequent rise in gas prices have hampered Trump\u2019s second administration.<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">An <em>Associated Press<\/em>-NORC Center for Public Affairs Research poll also released late last month showed 61% of Republicans said the Iran war was <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/apnews.com\/article\/trump-approval-iran-war-poll-republicans-election-55e9c80afec521d87f131393a59674c0\">worth fighting<\/a>, while 37% said it wasn\u2019t worth fighting. Only 33% of Americans overall said the war was worth it, while 64% said it wasn\u2019t. The public has also been less concerned about Trump\u2019s other priorities, including the renovation of the East Wing ballroom or his fixation on passing the SAVE America Act, an election-integrity bill.<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cI think that there\u2019s a real disquiet within the Republican Party about how Trump has performed, especially over the last, I would say year, year-plus,\u201d said Dallek. \u201cI think he\u2019s politically vulnerable.\u201d<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><strong><a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/news\/campaigns\/congressional\/4678622\/andy-ogles-charlie-hatcher-tennessee-house-primary\/\">TRUMP-BACKED ANDY OGLES LOSES GOP PRIMARY FOR TENNESSEE HOUSE SEAT<\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Trump\u2019s primary losses could also just be a sign of the public being less concerned about political endorsements. Democrats have also seen incumbent leaders backed by the establishment taken down in their primaries by an insurgent <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/tag\/socialism\/\" data-type=\"post_tag\" data-id=\"510\">socialist<\/a> movement. Six Democratic House members have been ousted this cycle, while at least two Republican House members and two Republican Senate members have lost their primaries.<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cEndorsements from higher-ups in the political ecosystem, I think they can be very important for insider networking and fundraising,\u201d said Nicholas. \u201cBut their utility with rank-and-file voters is waning.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/article>\n<p><\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Trump&#8217;s primary losses rise; he dismisses their impact<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2658,"featured_media":2641944,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_mo_disable_npp":"","fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/06\/2714131_sd_6a42951fa626c_1782748447.jpg?w=640","fifu_image_alt":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[33651],"tags":[13348,4342,5894,4909,3634],"class_list":["post-2641943","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-the-western-journal","tag-endorsement","tag-losses","tag-politics","tag-primary","tag-trump"],"fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/06\/2714131_sd_6a42951fa626c_1782748447.jpg?w=640","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2641943","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2658"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=2641943"}],"version-history":[{"count":3,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2641943\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":2641947,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2641943\/revisions\/2641947"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/2641944"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=2641943"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=2641943"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=2641943"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}