{"id":2646955,"date":"2026-08-19T12:43:01","date_gmt":"2026-08-19T16:43:01","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/resistance-libs-fail-to-turn-anti-trump-fame-into-electoral-success\/"},"modified":"2026-08-19T12:44:31","modified_gmt":"2026-08-19T16:44:31","slug":"resistance-libs-fail-to-turn-anti-trump-fame-into-electoral-success","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/resistance-libs-fail-to-turn-anti-trump-fame-into-electoral-success\/","title":{"rendered":"\u2018Resistance libs\u2019 fail to turn anti-Trump fame into electoral success"},"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\">20<\/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%2Fresistance-libs-fail-to-turn-anti-trump-fame-into-electoral-success%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=2646955&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>Several high-profile figures who opposed President Donald Trump during his first term are facing electoral setbacks in upcoming races for 2026. Despite gaining fame among liberal circles, their support has not translated into electoral victories.For example, Alex Vindman, known for his role in the first impeachment, lost his bid for the Democratic Senate nomination in Florida, despite raising critically important funds. He was defeated by Angie Nixon, who secured every major metro area in the state but is unlikely to win the general election against Republican Senator Ashley Moody.<\/p>\n<p>Similarly, other opponents like George Conway adn Rep. Dan Goldman also suffered setbacks. Conway, who campaigned against Trump with plans to impeach him, finished fifth in a Democratic primary in New York and only garnered 6% of the vote, despite heavy fundraising. Goldman lost his congressional seat to Brad Lander after expressing harsh anti-Trump sentiments. Even longtime anti-Trump figures like Rep. Al Green lost after redistricting.<\/p>\n<p>Outside of federal races, some republicans who opposed Trump, like Georgia&#8217;s Geoff Duncan, left the GOP and ran for office but failed to garner significant support, highlighting diminished voter enthusiasm for anti-Trump figures. these losses illustrate that the celebrity status gained from opposing Trump during his first term has limited appeal with voters in subsequent elections.  <\/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\">Some of the biggest stars of the \u201cresistance\u201d to President <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/tag\/donald-trump\/\" data-type=\"post_tag\" data-id=\"4\">Donald Trump\u2019<\/a>s first term are discovering that fame in liberal circles may help them raise money, but that voters no longer have an appetite for them at the ballot box in <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/tag\/2026-election\/\" data-type=\"post_tag\" data-id=\"11675\">2026<\/a>. <\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/tag\/alexander-vindman\/\" data-type=\"post_tag\" data-id=\"4350\">Alex Vindman<\/a>, whose claims about a Trump call with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky led to the commander in chief\u2019s first impeachment trial, lost the Democratic nomination for Senate in <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/tag\/florida\/\" data-type=\"post_tag\" data-id=\"159\">Florida<\/a> on Tuesday. Vindman used his celebrity among Democratic donors to raise $16.2 million for the race. State Rep. Angie Nixon, his chief rival who was also endorsed by the Democratic Socialists of America, raised only $974,844. <\/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\/4692436\/five-takeaway-florida-alaska-wyoming-primary\/?itm_source=parsely-api\">                             <\/p>\n<div class=\"explore-thumb-wrap\">                                                                                                                                  <\/div>\n<h3>Five takeaways from Florida, Alaska, and Wyoming primary elections<\/h3>\n<p>                         <\/a>                     <\/div>\n<div class=\"explore-card\">                         <a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/news\/campaigns\/4687497\/non-campaign-local-events-politicians-rural-small-town-america\/?itm_source=parsely-api\">                             <\/p>\n<div class=\"explore-thumb-wrap\">                                                                                                                                  <\/div>\n<h3>Non-campaign, <a href=\"https:\/\/amzn.to\/3YuVZYV\" >local road events bring politicians<\/a> in front of rural, small town, and a-political America<\/h3>\n<p>                         <\/a>                     <\/div>\n<div class=\"explore-card\">                         <a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/news\/campaigns\/4684090\/progressives-primary-midwest-hong-crowley-flanagan\/?itm_source=parsely-api\">                             <\/p>\n<div class=\"explore-thumb-wrap\">                                                                                                                                  <\/div>\n<h3>Progressives have mixed showing in Midwest as Francesca Hong fumbles primary<\/h3>\n<p>                         <\/a>                     <\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/section>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Nixon trounced Vindman by 11 percentage points. She won every major metro area in Florida, except for Palm Beach County. Nixon is all but assured to lose in November to Sen. Ashley Moody (R-FL), who was appointed to the seat last year to replace <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/tag\/marco-rubio\/\" data-type=\"post_tag\" data-id=\"51\">Secretary of State Marco Rubio<\/a>. <\/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\">\u201cThe most gratifying loss last night was that of a real treasonous creep, Alexander Vindman, to a Radical Left Lunatic, who can\u2019t speak or think properly,\u201d Trump wrote on Truth Social.<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Vindman is the latest \u201cresistance lib,\u201d a name given to Trump\u2019s first-term foes, in a long list of anti-Trumpers to be rejected by voters. <\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">George Conway, the ex-husband of Trump adviser <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/tag\/kellyanne-conway\/\">Kellyanne Conway<\/a>, finished a dismal fifth in the June Democratic primary for New York\u2019s 12th Congressional District. The attorney and Lincoln Project cofounder ran an avowedly resistance-coded campaign.<\/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\">On the campaign trail, Conway pledged to impeach Trump and pass a \u201cmodern legal reconstruction\u201d to erase the president\u2019s accomplishments and punish him once out of office. The pitch fell flat with voters, even in a district where Trump only got 17% in 2024.<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Conway only won 6% of the vote, despite having raised and spent the most of any other candidate. Overall, Conway pulled in $7 million for his failed campaign.<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cWow, Mr. Kellyanne Conway, a Trump Deranged Loser at the highest level, is getting absolutely CRUSHED,\u201d Trump wrote as Conway\u2019s race was being called. \u201cNo wonder his \u2018husband\u2019 dumped him like a dog! This is a truly unattractive person, both inside and out. Have a nice life, George!\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 same night that Conway lost, Rep. Dan Goldman (D-NY) was ousted in a primary by former New York City Comptroller Brad Lander. Goldman served as the Democrats\u2019 lead counsel for Trump\u2019s first impeachment before parlaying that profile into a seat in Congress.<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Goldman\u2019s anti-Trump fervor was displayed in November 2023, when he told MS Now that Trump posed a danger to the country and \u201chad to be eliminated.\u201d The congressman eventually apologized for the comments. <\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">In June\u2019s primary, Lander crushed Goldman by 31 percentage points even as the incumbent held a major fundraising advantage. FEC records indicate that Goldman raised and spent more than $8 million on the race, compared to Lander\u2019s $2.4 million. <\/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\">Even longtime Rep. Al Green (D-TX), who repeatedly introduced articles of impeachment against Trump, couldn\u2019t stem the tide. Green lost a May runoff to fellow Democratic Rep. Christian Menefee after redistricting placed the two Houston lawmakers in the same district.<\/p>\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image\"><\/figure>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The dynamic is evident outside of federal races as well.<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">In Georgia, former Lt. Gov. Geoff Duncan left the GOP over his disagreement with Trump\u2019s stand on the 2020 election. Duncan dropped out of his 2022 reelection bid before writing a book titled <em>GOP 2.0<\/em>, which outlined his vision for a post-Trump Republican Party. The push to reshape the GOP didn\u2019t last long, however, and Duncan wound up endorsing both former President Joe Biden and ex-Vice President Kamala Harris for the White House in 2024. <\/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\">Duncan formally became a Democrat last year and launched a bid for governor. While Duncan raised $1.7 million for the effort, Georgia Democrats rewarded the defection by giving him just 7% in the gubernatorial primary. That was far behind the 56% racked up by the winner, former Atlanta Mayor Keisha Lance Bottoms. <\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/news\/white-house\/4671556\/lincoln-project-fight-relevancy-anti-trump-organizations-second-term\/#google_vignette\" data-type=\"link\" data-id=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/news\/white-house\/4671556\/lincoln-project-fight-relevancy-anti-trump-organizations-second-term\/#google_vignette\"><strong>LINCOLN PROJECT STRUGGLES TO STAY RELEVANT DURING TRUMP\u2019S SECOND TERM<\/strong><\/a><\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">On the GOP side, Georgia Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger saw his gubernatorial ambitions similarly dashed. Raffensperger, who became a national figure after resisting Trump\u2019s efforts to challenge the state\u2019s 2020 election results, finished a distant third in the GOP primary to succeed Gov. Brian Kemp. <\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Gabriel Sterling, Raffensperger\u2019s deputy who rose to fame for forcefully rejecting Trump\u2019s election fraud claims in a 2020 press conference and warned the president\u2019s statements would lead to violence, sought the secretary of state office Raffensperger vacated. He garnered 12% of the vote and did not qualify for the runoff.<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Taken together, the losses underscore the limits of the political celebrity created by Trump\u2019s first term. The resistance produced plenty of stars. In 2026, voters haven\u2019t been nearly as impressed.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/article>\n<p><\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Resistance stars face voter rejection in 2026 elections<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":4183,"featured_media":2646956,"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\/Resistance-libs-2.webp?w=696","fifu_image_alt":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[33651],"tags":[6430,68630,70635],"class_list":["post-2646955","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-the-western-journal","tag-anti-trump","tag-political-failure","tag-resistance-movement"],"fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/Resistance-libs-2.webp?w=696","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2646955","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\/4183"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=2646955"}],"version-history":[{"count":3,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2646955\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":2646959,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2646955\/revisions\/2646959"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/2646956"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=2646955"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=2646955"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=2646955"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}