Trump-Backed Candidates Rack Up 10 Primary Losses as Just 28% Followed His Picks Tuesday
Updated
Updated · KCCI Des Moines · Aug 20
Trump-Backed Candidates Rack Up 10 Primary Losses as Just 28% Followed His Picks Tuesday
3 articles · Updated · KCCI Des Moines · Aug 20
Summary
Ten Trump-endorsed candidates have now lost 2026 primaries for Congress or statewide office, matching his combined loss total from 2018, 2020 and 2024.
Nearly 300,000 Republicans voted Tuesday in Wyoming and two Florida House primaries where Trump had endorsed candidates, but only 28% backed his picks as Megan Degenfelder, Cory Mills and Catalina Lauf all lost.
Five of the 10 defeats have come in gubernatorial races, and six losses have piled up in August alone; Trump-backed nonincumbent governor candidates are now losing 42% of such primaries this year.
The setbacks suggest GOP voters are increasingly discounting Trump's guidance as an incumbent president, with CNN polling showing notable Republican discontent on key issues and Trump publicly distancing himself from Mills after the loss.
More tests are imminent: Trump-backed Anthony DiLorenzo still faces New Hampshire's 1st District primary, while appointed Sen. Darline Graham heads into a South Carolina special-election runoff after a shaky debate performance.