{"id":2647088,"date":"2026-08-19T17:02:57","date_gmt":"2026-08-19T21:02:57","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/trumps-gop-kingmaker-power-faces-new-test-after-string-of-losses\/"},"modified":"2026-08-19T17:09:13","modified_gmt":"2026-08-19T21:09:13","slug":"trumps-gop-kingmaker-power-faces-new-test-after-string-of-losses","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/trumps-gop-kingmaker-power-faces-new-test-after-string-of-losses\/","title":{"rendered":"Trump\u2019s GOP kingmaker power faces new test after string of losses"},"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\">22<\/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%2Ftrumps-gop-kingmaker-power-faces-new-test-after-string-of-losses%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=2647088&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\u2019s primary endorsement success has been questioned following recent setbacks, as three of his favored candidates lost their primaries. Notably, Florida Republicans Cory Mills and Catalina Lauf, both backed by Trump, were defeated amidst controversies and allegations against Mills, including domestic abuse accusations and ethics investigations. Despite these losses, Republican strategists argue that Trump\u2019s endorsement remains influential, especially for fundraising and attention, but it does not guarantee victory, particularly if candidates have personal scandals or lack credibility. Trump himself indicated he advised Mills to withdraw from the race, emphasizing that voter decisions ultimately determine outcomes. The White House dismisses claims of diminished influence, citing a high success rate of Trump\u2019s endorsements overall. Additionally, trump\u2019s influence will be tested in upcoming races, such as the South Carolina GOP Senate primary runoff featuring his endorsed candidate, Darline Graham Nordone. While some supporters acknowledge concerns that his coalition\u2019s durability depends on delivering key policies, there are warnings from within the party about potential future fractures if the GOP fails to meet expectations on issues like immigration. the primary results highlight both the persistent power and limitations of Trump\u2019s endorsement, setting the stage for a crucial general election test in November to assess his broader political strength and the party\u2019s resilience.  <\/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> once-formidable primary endorsement record took another hit this week, raising questions about the limits of his kingmaker status within the <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/tag\/republican-party\/\" data-type=\"post_tag\" data-id=\"514\">Republican Party <\/a>after three of his preferred candidates lost on Tuesday.<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Embattled Rep. Cory Mills (R-FL) and Catalina Lauf both lost their<a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/tag\/florida\/\" data-type=\"post_tag\" data-id=\"159\"> Florida<\/a> congressional primaries, while Megan Degenfelder fell short in her gubernatorial primary. Including Tuesday\u2019s results, at least 10 Trump-backed candidates for state and federal office have lost their primaries this cycle.<\/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\/4693319\/abdul-el-sayed-outperforms-mike-rogers-michigan-senate-poll\/?itm_source=parsely-api\">                             <\/p>\n<div class=\"explore-thumb-wrap\">                                                                                                                                  <\/div>\n<h3>Abdul el Sayed outperforms Mike Rogers in latest Michigan Senate poll<\/h3>\n<p>                         <\/a>                     <\/div>\n<div class=\"explore-card\">                         <a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/news\/campaigns\/congressional\/4693496\/darline-graham-nordone-debate-fumble-spotlights-policy-views\/?itm_source=parsely-api\">                             <\/p>\n<div class=\"explore-thumb-wrap\">                                                                                                                                  <\/div>\n<h3>Darline Graham Nordone debate fumble spotlights questions on policy views<\/h3>\n<p>                         <\/a>                     <\/div>\n<div class=\"explore-card\">                         <a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/news\/campaigns\/congressional\/4693342\/sherrill-campaigning-new-hampshire-massachusetts-seth-moulton-fellow-veterans\/?itm_source=parsely-api\">                             <\/p>\n<div class=\"explore-thumb-wrap\">                                                                                                                                  <\/div>\n<h3>Mikie Sherrill stumps in New Hampshire and Massachusetts for Seth Moulton and others<\/h3>\n<p>                         <\/a>                     <\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/section>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Republican strategists cautioned against interpreting the defeats as evidence that Trump has lost his grip on GOP voters. Instead, they argued, the losses demonstrate the limits of even a presidential <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/tag\/endorsements\/\" data-type=\"post_tag\" data-id=\"1440\">endorsement <\/a>when voters are presented with scandal-plagued candidates or political novices who have failed to make their own case.<\/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\">\u201cTrump\u2019s endorsement is still very valuable. You will still see people in Republican primaries seek out Trump\u2019s endorsement,\u201d said Ohio GOP strategist Matt Dole. \u201cBut it is not sacrosanct. The voters still get to decide, and the voters look at the people and make those decisions.\u201d<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Mills presented perhaps the clearest example: the two-term incumbent entered the primary facing domestic abuse allegations, questions about his finances, and a House Ethics Committee investigation. While Mills has denied wrongdoing, Gov. <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/tag\/ron-desantis\/\" data-type=\"post_tag\" data-id=\"575\">Ron DeSantis<\/a> (R-FL) refused to endorse him for reelection, while two colleagues, Reps. Anna Paulina Luna (R-FL) and Mike Haridopolos (R-FL) endorsed and campaigned for his primary challenger.<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Trump himself admitted on Wednesday that he\u2019d asked Mills to step aside ahead of the primary.<\/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\">\u201cI told Congressman Cory Mills of Florida, a friend of mine, to get out of the Race, but he wouldn\u2019t listen,\u201d Trump <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/truthsocial.com\/@realDonaldTrump\/posts\/117122454656898588\">wrote on Truth Social<\/a>. \u201cHe thought he could win, so who can blame him?\u201d<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/section\/news\/white-house\/\" data-type=\"category\" data-id=\"125\">White House<\/a> told the <em>Washington Examiner<\/em> that anyone claiming that Trump\u2019s endorsement has been diminished by the recent losses \u201cis a complete and utter fool.\u201d<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cThe President\u2019s record speaks for itself: out of more than 260 endorsements, the President has a 97% success rate,\u201d said Allison Schuster, a White House spokeswoman. \u201cPresident Trump is committed to maintaining Republican majorities in Congress and continuing to lower costs for working families.\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\">Patrick Arnold, a South Carolina GOP strategist, argued that Trump\u2019s endorsement can be particularly valuable for fundraising and generating attention, but cannot necessarily overcome serious problems with a candidate.<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cGiven my perspective on the impact of endorsements, I definitely think a domestic abuse charge trumps the Trump endorsement,\u201d he said of Mills\u2019s loss.<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Angie Wong, a Miami-based Republican strategist, similarly argued that Mills\u2019s defeat reflected his own political problems rather than a decline in support for Trump. She also blamed Lauf\u2019s loss in Florida\u2019s 19th Congressional District on the candidate rather than the president who endorsed her. Lauf previously ran for Congress in Illinois in 2020 and 2022 before moving to Florida.<\/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\">\u201cI really thought once she secured a Trump endorsement that it cleared the lane of any other candidate, but apparently [the district] wanted nothing to do with that,\u201d said Wong. \u201cA lot of that is because Catalina is an out-of-stater; she\u2019s a <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/news\/campaigns\/congressional\/4687660\/florida-19th-congressional-district-candidates-carpetbagger-primary\/\">carpetbagger<\/a>.\u201d<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Trump\u2019s endorsement will next face a major test in <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/tag\/south-carolina\/\" data-type=\"post_tag\" data-id=\"524\">South Carolina\u2019s<\/a> special GOP Senate primary runoff to replace the late Republican Sen. Lindsey Graham. The president has endorsed Graham\u2019s sister, Sen. Darline Graham Nordone (R-SC), who was appointed to the seat last month.<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Graham Nordone finished first in the initial primary but failed to secure the nomination outright, setting up an Aug. 25 runoff against Rep. Ralph Norman (R-SC). Trump is set to campaign with her in South Carolina on Friday.<\/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\">Polls show a tight contest. Graham Nordone has also faced questions about her command of policy issues. During a debate with Norman on Tuesday, she went viral after acknowledging that she was \u201cnot that informed on national security\u201d when asked about Taiwan and China.<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cVoters have a good [bulls***] meter,\u201d said Dole. \u201cI\u2019ve done 350 races. Voters can sniff out BS, and someone like Cory Mills or Darline Graham- voters are going to sniff that out and make their decisions based on what\u2019s best for them locally, and not in service to the president nationally.\u201d<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Yet concerns about Trump\u2019s political standing are also beginning to emerge from some of the president\u2019s most fervent supporters, who warn that the durability of his coalition could ultimately depend less on his endorsement record than on whether Republicans believe he is delivering on the agenda that returned him to the White House.<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">During Wednesday\u2019s broadcast of <em>War Room<\/em>, former Trump chief strategist <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/tag\/steve-bannon\/\" data-type=\"post_tag\" data-id=\"779\">Steve Bannon<\/a> highlighted a warning from former U.S. Border Patrol commander-at-large Greg Bovino that younger Republicans could abandon the GOP if the party fails to deliver on priorities such as immigration.<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cYoung Republicans are not bluffing. They will walk. The GOP is currently on a suicide mission,\u201d Bovino <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/x.com\/GregoryKBovino\/status\/2089436111731060961\">wrote on X<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><strong><a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/news\/white-house\/4692828\/trump-96-percent-endorsement-success-rate-republicans-he-backed-who-lost\/\">TRUMP HAS A 96% ENDORSEMENT SUCCESS RATE. HERE ARE THE REPUBLICANS HE\u2019S BACKED WHO HAVE LOST<\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">That makes November a potentially more consequential test of Trump\u2019s political strength than his primary endorsement record alone.<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cIf flying the Trump flag doesn\u2019t achieve what they hope it will achieve, if they lose control of Congress and if the agenda items get kind of stopped in their tracks, then yes we will probably see several Republicans going rogue,\u201d said Scott Huffmon, director of the Center for Public Opinion &#038; Policy Research at Winthrop University in South Carolina.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/article>\n<p><\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Trump&#8217;s primary wins decline as 3 endorsed candidates lose<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2658,"featured_media":2647089,"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\/07\/AP26210710936682.jpg?w=696","fifu_image_alt":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[33651],"tags":[6571,6203,37194,5894,3634],"class_list":["post-2647088","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-the-western-journal","tag-elections","tag-gop","tag-political-influence","tag-politics","tag-trump"],"fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/AP26210710936682.jpg?w=696","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2647088","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=2647088"}],"version-history":[{"count":3,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2647088\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":2647092,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2647088\/revisions\/2647092"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/2647089"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=2647088"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=2647088"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=2647088"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}