Donald Trump’s coveted endorsement isn’t clearing the field in GOP primaries
Same show, different day.
Republicans running for office during this year’s midterm elections are all angling for one person’s endorsement: President Donald Trump.
Though it was once bestowed, Trump’s endorsement is not clearing the field. In fact, Republicans are continuing to mount primary challenges against Trump’s chosen picks.
In Florida, Trump endorsed Rep. Byron Donalds (R-FL) for the Republican nomination for governor. The endorsement made Donald the front-runner and helped him raise more than $40 million, but it hasn’t insulated him from competition.
Since being endorsed by Trump in early 2025, Donalds has seen three other Republicans enter the race: Lt. Gov. Jay Collins, former Florida House Speaker Paul Renner, and millennial entrepreneur James Fishback. Polling shows Donalds well ahead of the pack, but with the primary not until Aug. 18, there is still time for the race to tighten.
“President Trump’s endorsement is a coveted stamp of approval in Republican primaries, which is why candidates across the country are asking for it and those running against it are playing for second place,” Republican National Committee spokeswoman Delanie Bomar told the Washington Examiner.
Merrill Matthews, resident scholar at the Institute for Policy Innovation, agreed. But she noted that while Trump’s endorsement is important, every election is different and has its own set of factors.
“If the state doesn’t necessarily like the person, Trump endorsing that person is not going to necessarily win them the primary and then the election,” said Matthews. “It’s helpful, but it’s not going to be 100%.”
Like Florida, Trump’s endorsement in Georgia has not cleared the field in the race to replace Republican Gov. Brian Kemp. Last August, Lt. Gov. Burt Jones got Trump’s backing for the post but has since seen two high-profile Republicans jump into the race.
Georgia Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger, a one-time Trump foe who publicly criticized the president’s assertion that the 2020 election was stolen, entered the race in September as a moderate alternative to Jones. Perhaps more troubling for Jones, however, was the entrance of billionaire Rick Jackson, who is running hard for the MAGA lane.
“These guys are all trying to act like, and they’re trying to put themselves out there, as a Trump-endorsed candidate,” Jones told the Washington Examiner. “They’re not running against the president by any means. So they’re trying to put a camouflage up about being the guy. But at the end of the …
Same show, different day.
Republicans running for office during this year’s midterm elections are all angling for one person’s endorsement: President Donald Trump.
Though it was once bestowed, Trump’s endorsement is not clearing the field. In fact, Republicans are continuing to mount primary challenges against Trump’s chosen picks.
In Florida, Trump endorsed Rep. Byron Donalds (R-FL) for the Republican nomination for governor. The endorsement made Donald the front-runner and helped him raise more than $40 million, but it hasn’t insulated him from competition.
Since being endorsed by Trump in early 2025, Donalds has seen three other Republicans enter the race: Lt. Gov. Jay Collins, former Florida House Speaker Paul Renner, and millennial entrepreneur James Fishback. Polling shows Donalds well ahead of the pack, but with the primary not until Aug. 18, there is still time for the race to tighten.
“President Trump’s endorsement is a coveted stamp of approval in Republican primaries, which is why candidates across the country are asking for it and those running against it are playing for second place,” Republican National Committee spokeswoman Delanie Bomar told the Washington Examiner.
Merrill Matthews, resident scholar at the Institute for Policy Innovation, agreed. But she noted that while Trump’s endorsement is important, every election is different and has its own set of factors.
“If the state doesn’t necessarily like the person, Trump endorsing that person is not going to necessarily win them the primary and then the election,” said Matthews. “It’s helpful, but it’s not going to be 100%.”
Like Florida, Trump’s endorsement in Georgia has not cleared the field in the race to replace Republican Gov. Brian Kemp. Last August, Lt. Gov. Burt Jones got Trump’s backing for the post but has since seen two high-profile Republicans jump into the race.
Georgia Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger, a one-time Trump foe who publicly criticized the president’s assertion that the 2020 election was stolen, entered the race in September as a moderate alternative to Jones. Perhaps more troubling for Jones, however, was the entrance of billionaire Rick Jackson, who is running hard for the MAGA lane.
“These guys are all trying to act like, and they’re trying to put themselves out there, as a Trump-endorsed candidate,” Jones told the Washington Examiner. “They’re not running against the president by any means. So they’re trying to put a camouflage up about being the guy. But at the end of the …
Donald Trump’s coveted endorsement isn’t clearing the field in GOP primaries
Same show, different day.
Republicans running for office during this year’s midterm elections are all angling for one person’s endorsement: President Donald Trump.
Though it was once bestowed, Trump’s endorsement is not clearing the field. In fact, Republicans are continuing to mount primary challenges against Trump’s chosen picks.
In Florida, Trump endorsed Rep. Byron Donalds (R-FL) for the Republican nomination for governor. The endorsement made Donald the front-runner and helped him raise more than $40 million, but it hasn’t insulated him from competition.
Since being endorsed by Trump in early 2025, Donalds has seen three other Republicans enter the race: Lt. Gov. Jay Collins, former Florida House Speaker Paul Renner, and millennial entrepreneur James Fishback. Polling shows Donalds well ahead of the pack, but with the primary not until Aug. 18, there is still time for the race to tighten.
“President Trump’s endorsement is a coveted stamp of approval in Republican primaries, which is why candidates across the country are asking for it and those running against it are playing for second place,” Republican National Committee spokeswoman Delanie Bomar told the Washington Examiner.
Merrill Matthews, resident scholar at the Institute for Policy Innovation, agreed. But she noted that while Trump’s endorsement is important, every election is different and has its own set of factors.
“If the state doesn’t necessarily like the person, Trump endorsing that person is not going to necessarily win them the primary and then the election,” said Matthews. “It’s helpful, but it’s not going to be 100%.”
Like Florida, Trump’s endorsement in Georgia has not cleared the field in the race to replace Republican Gov. Brian Kemp. Last August, Lt. Gov. Burt Jones got Trump’s backing for the post but has since seen two high-profile Republicans jump into the race.
Georgia Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger, a one-time Trump foe who publicly criticized the president’s assertion that the 2020 election was stolen, entered the race in September as a moderate alternative to Jones. Perhaps more troubling for Jones, however, was the entrance of billionaire Rick Jackson, who is running hard for the MAGA lane.
“These guys are all trying to act like, and they’re trying to put themselves out there, as a Trump-endorsed candidate,” Jones told the Washington Examiner. “They’re not running against the president by any means. So they’re trying to put a camouflage up about being the guy. But at the end of the …
0 Comments
0 Shares
46 Views
0 Reviews
