{"id":2643522,"date":"2026-08-12T08:47:02","date_gmt":"2026-08-12T12:47:02","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/mike-lindell-and-darline-graham-nordone-show-limits-to-trumps-endorsement-power\/"},"modified":"2026-08-12T08:51:10","modified_gmt":"2026-08-12T12:51:10","slug":"mike-lindell-and-darline-graham-nordone-show-limits-to-trumps-endorsement-power","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/mike-lindell-and-darline-graham-nordone-show-limits-to-trumps-endorsement-power\/","title":{"rendered":"Mike Lindell and Darline Graham Nordone show limits to Trump&#8217;s endorsement power"},"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\">24<\/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%2Fmike-lindell-and-darline-graham-nordone-show-limits-to-trumps-endorsement-power%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=2643522&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>on Tuesday night, Donald Trump\u2019s <a href=\"https:\/\/amzn.to\/3YuVZYV\" >historically accomplished endorsement record encountered setbacks<\/a> in two <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/why-ice-funding-could-be-the-next-challenge-for-swing-seat-republicans\/\" title=\"Why ICE funding could be the next challenge for swing seat Republicans\">high-profile republican primaries<\/a>. In Minnesota, Trump-backed candidate Mike Lindell was heavily favored due to his pro-Trump stance, wealth, and national profile but was unexpectedly defeated in the primary by state House Speaker Lisa Demuth, who emphasized her centrist approach. Lindell\u2019s campaign was marred by negative coverage and alienation of parts of his MAGA base, and he received only 32.5% of the vote compared to Demuth\u2019s 43.4%. <\/p>\n<p>In South carolina, Trump\u2019s influence was also limited.his endorsed candidate, Darline Graham Nordone, finished first with 32.7% but did not secure enough votes to avoid a runoff against Rep.Ralph Norman, who garnered 24.6%.Despite these results, Trump remained optimistic, announcing on Truth social that most of his endorsements had won and highlighting Nordone\u2019s advancement. The races demonstrated the limits of trump\u2019s endorsement power, especially in complex or unique electoral contexts. while Trump\u2019s endorsements continue to have notable influence nationally, these particular primaries revealed boundaries to his sway within the Republican Party.  <\/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> nearly perfect endorsement record hit a wall on Tuesday night, as <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/news\/campaigns\/state\/4682754\/mike-lindell-lisa-demuth-minnesota-governor\/\" data-type=\"link\" data-id=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/news\/campaigns\/state\/4682754\/mike-lindell-lisa-demuth-minnesota-governor\/\">his endorsements lost<\/a> in the Minnesota gubernatorial primary and <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/news\/campaigns\/congressional\/4681391\/south-carolina-senate-special-primary-results\/\" data-type=\"post\" data-id=\"4681391\">failed to win outright<\/a> in the South Carolina Senate primary.<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The 2026 Republican primary cycle has been dominated by Trump\u2019s coveted endorsement, deciding elections across the country, with a success rate rarely seen in national politics. Tuesday showed the limits of this endorsement, however, after his preferred candidates failed to win outright in two nationally visible races.<\/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\/4684089\/mike-lindell-darline-graham-nordone-show-limits-trump-endorsement-power\/?itm_source=parsely-api\">                             <\/p>\n<div class=\"explore-thumb-wrap\">                                                                                                                                  <\/div>\n<h3>Mike Lindell and Darline Graham Nordone show limits to Trump\u2019s endorsement power<\/h3>\n<p>                         <\/a>                     <\/div>\n<div class=\"explore-card\">                         <a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/news\/white-house\/4683633\/trump-winning-issue-republicans-midterm-boost\/?itm_source=parsely-api\">                             <\/p>\n<div class=\"explore-thumb-wrap\">                                                                                                                                  <\/div>\n<h3>Trump\u2019s winning issue that could give Republicans a midterm boost<\/h3>\n<p>                         <\/a>                     <\/div>\n<div class=\"explore-card\">                         <a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/news\/campaigns\/congressional\/4683834\/democrats-establishment-socialists-haley-stevens\/?itm_source=parsely-api\">                             <\/p>\n<div class=\"explore-thumb-wrap\">                                                                                                                                  <\/div>\n<h3>The Democratic establishment\u2019s uneasy embrace of its new socialist overlords<\/h3>\n<p>                         <\/a>                     <\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/section>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><strong><a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/news\/campaigns\/congressional\/4460164\/trump-endorsement-tracker-gop-2026-election-primaries\/\">TRUMP ENDORSEMENT TRACKER: HERE\u2019S WHO THE PRESIDENT HAS PICKED IN GOP MIDTERM ELECTION PRIMARIES<\/a><\/strong><\/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\">Lindell\u2019s campaign for governor was a long shot in the general election \u2014 Minnesota last had a Republican governor in 2011 \u2014 but in the primary, his pro-Trump credentials, Trump\u2019s endorsement, wealth, and national profile led many to assume <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/news\/campaigns\/state\/4681613\/trump-minnesota-governor-primary-mike-lindell-endorsement\/\">he\u2019d readily win<\/a>. Instead, he was thoroughly trounced by state House Speaker Lisa Demuth, who received 43.4% of the vote compared to Lindell\u2019s 32.5%, with 98% of the vote counted.<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Demuth won through her recognition in state politics and by stressing her centrist credentials, arguing that she was the Republican Party\u2019s best chance at ending its losing streak in the state. Lindell received an avalanche of negative coverage throughout his campaign, even managing to alienate his MAGA base after divulging a plan for statewide amnesty in an <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/news\/campaigns\/state\/4658121\/mike-lindell-six-month-amnesty-illegal-immigrants-minnesota-governor\/\" data-type=\"link\" data-id=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/news\/campaigns\/state\/4658121\/mike-lindell-six-month-amnesty-illegal-immigrants-minnesota-governor\/\">interview<\/a> with the <em>Washington Examiner<\/em>.<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Trump fared better in South Carolina, but the special Senate primary runoff was still notable as his endorsement failed to decisively swing the election. Darline Graham Nordone, sister of the late Sen. Lindsey Graham, came in first with 32.7% of the vote with over 95% of votes counted, but she did not reach the threshold to prevent a runoff. She\u2019ll be going against Rep. Ralph Norman (R-SC)\u00a0in the Aug. 25 runoff election, who won 24.6% of the vote.<\/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\">Rep. Russell Fry (R-SC) came in third place with just under 20% of the vote.<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><strong><a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/news\/campaigns\/congressional\/4681391\/south-carolina-senate-special-primary-results\/\" data-type=\"post\" data-id=\"4681391\">DARLINE GRAHAM, RALPH NORMAN ADVANCE TO RUNOFF IN SENATE RACE TO REPLACE LINDSEY GRAHAM<\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Despite the setbacks, Trump came away with a positive read of Tuesday night. On Truth Social, he posted graphics boasting that 14 of his endorsements had won their primaries. He also put a positive spin on Graham Nordone\u2019s results, posting a graphic boasting that she was advancing.<\/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\">Though Tuesday showed the limits of Trump\u2019s endorsement power, the two races were unique and fell short of indicating any message about Trump\u2019s popularity within the Republican Party. Minnesota is a <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/former-gop-rep-david-valadao-flips-california-house-seat-its-the-third-pickup-in-the-state-for-republicans\/\" title=\"Former GOP Rep. David Valadao flips California House seat. It&#039;s the third pickup in the ... for Republicans.\">deep blue state<\/a> where any Republican wanting a chance at victory must appeal to a more liberal electorate, which includes distancing themselves from Trump. The race to replace Graham in South Carolina was bound to be chaotic due to the suddenness and uncertainty of his death, and Nordone was completely unknown politically before.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/article>\n<p><\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Trump\u2019s endorsements stumble in MN and SC primaries<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2653,"featured_media":2643523,"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\/08\/image-collage-r4b635ypu-1786533942541-e1786537372220.jpg?1786523025&amp;w=696","fifu_image_alt":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[33651],"tags":[38887,5894,3634],"class_list":["post-2643522","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-the-western-journal","tag-mike-lindell","tag-politics","tag-trump"],"fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/image-collage-r4b635ypu-1786533942541-e1786537372220.jpg?1786523025&amp;w=696","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2643522","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\/2653"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=2643522"}],"version-history":[{"count":3,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2643522\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":2643526,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2643522\/revisions\/2643526"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/2643523"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=2643522"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=2643522"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=2643522"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}