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Trump-backed candidates lost primaries in Utah, South Carolina and Colorado.
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These defeats mark a rare trend Trump endorsements fail in the 2024 election cycle.
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The results suggest some Republican voters are turning away from Trump’s influence in the primaries.
An endorsement from Donald Trump usually means success for congressional candidates. But in this week’s primaries, some Trump picks suffered rare losses.
In Utah, Republican Rep. John Curtis — who has been critical of Trump — defeated Trump’s chosen candidate Trente Staggs to take over Mitt Romney‘s open Senate seat. Staggs lost to Curtis by 20 points, according to the Associated Press’s expected race calls, compiled by The New York Times.
A similar situation occurred in South Carolina: ultraconservative pastor Mark Burns, who endorsed Trump at Truth Social in April, lost his runoff race for the House of Representatives to Republican Sherri Biggs.
And in Colorado, House of Representatives candidate and state Republican Party Chairman Dave Williams, who endorsed the former president on Truth Social in March, was defeated by his rival, conservative commentator Jeff Crank. According to the Times, he lost by 30 points.
The three defeats mark only the second, third and fourth time a Trump favorite has lost the race for a federal position this election cycle, Politico reported. The first instance occurred earlier in June when Trump-backed New Jersey Senate candidate Christine Serrano Glassner lost to real estate developer Curtis Bashaw by seven points, according to the Times.
There are two other candidates who may be added to Trump’s list of failures.
The race for Utah’s second congressional district is still too close, with Trump-backed incumbent Rep. Celeste Maloy leading by just three points. And the Republican primaries in Virginia are still too close to call, with Trump leading John McGuire by less than one point over his challenger. That race could result in a recount, MSNBC reported.
Read the original article on Business Insider
