The Trump-endorsed candidates who have won their primaries
Former President Trump scored perhaps his biggest victory of the primary season Tuesday when Rep. Liz Cheney (R-Wyo.), arguably his most vocal critic, lost her primary against attorney Harriet Hageman.
Trump endorsed Hageman last year after Cheney drew his ire for becoming one of 10 House Republicans to vote to impeach him and for helping lead the House select committee investigating the Jan. 6, 2021, Capitol riot.
While Cheney acknowledged she had lost her primary during a concession speech, she struck a defiant tone, vowing that she would do “whatever it takes” to keep Trump from returning to the White House.
Meanwhile in Alaska, Sen. Lisa Murkowski (R-Alaska), one of seven GOP senators who voted to convict Trump, became one of four candidates to advance to the general election using the state’s new open primary system.
Murkowski is facing a high-profile challenge from Kelly Tshibaka, who received Trump’s endorsement and also advanced to the general election.
Below is a list of Trump-backed candidates who won or have advanced in their respective Republican primaries so far this year:
ALASKA (August 16)
Statewide races
Gov. Mike Dunleavy (incumbent)
Senate
Kelly Tshibaka: Tshibaka was among four candidates to advance the primary for Sen. Lisa Murkowski’s (R-Alaska) seat. Tshibaka was endorsed by Trump after Murkowski, considered a moderate within her party, drew the former president’s ire for voting to impeach him following the Capitol riots. Murkowski also advanced in the Senate primary.
House
Sarah Palin, running for the state’s at-large district: Palin was among four candidates to advance in her primary to fill Alaska’s lone House seat. The former governor of Alaska, she also ran in a special House election to fill the remainder of Rep. Don Young’s (R-Alaska) term after he died in March.
WYOMING (August 16)
House
Harriet Hageman, running for the state’s at-large district: Hageman won her primary against Rep. Liz Cheney (R-Wyo.). Hageman’s primary rode on the endorsement of Trump, who backed the attorney after Cheney drew ire for her criticism of the former president and for participating on the House select committee investigating the Capitol riot. Cheney became the last pro-impeachment House Republican to lose a primary.
MINNESOTA (August 9)
House
Rep. Tom Emmer (incumbent, MN-6): Emmer is the chair of the House Republicans’ campaign arm.
Rep. Michelle Fischbach (incumbent, MN-7)
Rep. Pete Stauber (incumbent, MN-8)
WISCONSIN (August 9)
Statewide races
Tim Michels, running for governor
Senate
Sen. Ron Johnson (incumbent)
House
Rep. Bryan Steil (incumbent, WI-1)
Derrick Van Orden, running in WI-3: Van Orden is vying for the state’s 3rd Congressional District, which has been represented by Rep. Ron Kind (D) since 1997. Kind announced last year that he would not be seeking reelection.
Rep. Scott Fitzgerald (incumbent, WI-5)
Rep. Tom Tiffany (incumbent, WI-7)
TENNESSEE (August 4)
Statewide races
Gov. Bill Lee (incumbent)
House
Rep. Diana Harshbarger (incumbent, TN-1)
Rep. Tim Burchett (incumbent, TN-2)
Rep. Charles Fleischmann (incumbent, TN-3)
Rep. Scott DesJarlais (incumbent, TN-4)
Rep. John Rose (incumbent, TN-6)
Rep. Mark Green (incumbent, TN-7)
Rep. David Kustoff (incumbent, TN-8)
ARIZONA (August 2)
Statewide races
Kari Lake, running for governor: Lake beat back a challenge from developer Katie Taylor Robson in what was seen as a proxy war between Trump and former Vice President Pence. While Trump endorsed Lake, Pence and Arizona Gov. Doug Ducey (R) had backed Robson. Lake has become known for pushing baseless claims about the 2020 election.
State Rep. Mark Finchem, running for secretary of state: Finchem has used part of his campaign platform to push baseless claims about the 2020 election. His primary win is notable given that, should he win in his election, he would be the top elections official for Arizona.
Abraham Hamadeh, running for state attorney general: Hamadeh has also baselessly pushed the idea that fraud occurred during the 2020 election.
Senate
Blake Masters: Masters, a venture capitalist with ties to GOP mega-donor Peter Thiel, won his primary and handed Trump another win among endorsed Senate candidates in Republican primaries. He’s set to take on Sen. Mark Kelly (D-Ariz.), considered one of the most competitive races for this Senate cycle.
House
Rep. David Schweikert (incumbent): Schweikert is running in the 1st Congressional District but currently represents the 6th.
Eli Crane, running for AZ-2
Rep. Andy Biggs (incumbent, AZ-5)
Rep. Debbie Lesko (incumbent, AZ-8)
Rep. Paul Gosar (incumbent): Gosar currently represents the 4th Congressional District but is running in the 9th.
State legislative races
Former state Sen. David Farnsworth (10th legislative district): Arizona House Speaker Rusty Bowers (R) lost his primary to Farnsworth, who Trump endorsed after Bowers drew the ire of the former president. Bowers testified before the House select committee investigating the Capitol riot and refuted the characterization of some aspects of a conversation he had with Trump regarding the 2020 election.
KANSAS (August 2)
Statewide races
Derek Schmidt, running for governor
Senate
Sen. Jerry Moran (incumbent)
House
Rep. Tracey Mann (incumbent, KS-1)
Rep. Jake LaTurner (incumbent, KS-2)
Rep. Ron Estes (incumbent, KS-4)
MICHIGAN (August 2)
Statewide races
Tudor Dixon, running for governor: Trump gave Dixon a last-minute endorsement ahead of Michigan’s GOP gubernatorial primary. She beat out several contenders, including real estate broker Ryan Kelley, was charged in connection to the Capitol riot.
House
Rep. Jack Bergman (incumbent, MI-1)
Rep. John Moolenaar (incumbent): Moolenaar is running in the 2nd Congressional District but is currently representing the 4th.
John Gibbs, running in MI-3: Gibbs won the GOP primary against Rep. Peter Meijer (R-Mich.), considered one of several Trump-endorsed challengers who prevailed against Republicans who voted to impeach Trump following the Capitol riot. Democrats have been criticized for meddling in the primary.
Rep. Bill Huizenga (incumbent): Huizenga is running in the 4th Congressional District but is currently representing the 2nd.
Rep: Tim Walberg (incumbent): Walberg is running in the 5th Congressional District but is currently representing the 7th.
Rep. Lisa McClain (incumbent): McClain is running in the 9th Congressional District but is currently representing the 10th.
John James, running in MI-10
MISSOURI (August 2)
Senate
“ERIC”: Considered one of the most interesting plot twists of this election cycle so far, Trump said he was endorsing “ERIC” in the Missouri Senate race, prompting both candidates Eric Schmitt and Eric Greitens to claim it. Schmitt ultimately won the primary, though it’s not clear if the endorsement was necessarily made about him.
House
Rep. Blaine Luetkemeyer (incumbent, MO-3)
Rep. Sam Graves (incumbent, MO-6)
Rep. Jason Smithi (incumbent, MO-8)
WASHINGTON (August 2)
House
Joe Kent, running for WA-3: Joe Kent advanced in his primary along with candidate Marie Perez (D) to battle for Rep. Jaime Herrera Beutler’s (R-Wash.) seat in Congress. Kent was endorsed by Trump after Herrera Beutler became one of 10 House Republicans to vote to impeach the former president. She did not advance. Kent only needed to be one of the top two vote-getters to advance in his primary per Washington’s open primary system.
MARYLAND (July 19)
Statewide races
State Del. Dan Cox, running for governor: Cox won the Maryland GOP gubernatorial primary against Gov. Larry Hogan’s (R-Md.) endorsed candidate, former commerce secretary Kelly Schulz. Cox has called former Vice President Pence a ‘traitor” and organized buses for those who attended the rally that precede the Jan. 6, 2021 Capitol riot. Hogan has previously been critical of Cox, at one point calling him a “QAnon conspiracy theorist.”
COLORADO (June 28)
House
Rep. Lauren Boebert (incumbent): Far-right conservative Boebert easily won her reelection against state Sen. Don Coram. The Colorado Republican has been known for her controversial remarks on the topics like separation of church and state and for anti-Muslim remarks toward Rep. Ilhan Omar (D-Minn.).
ILLINOIS (June 28)
Statewide races
State sen. Darren Bailey, running for governor: Bailey, who received Trump’s endorsement just days before the primary, fended off a challenge from Aurora, Ill., Mayor Richard Irvin. Polling conducting earlier month showed Bailey outpacing Irvin by 15 percentage points, a turn of events from last month when the state senator was trailing behind the Aurora mayor. But Bailey faces an uphill challenge against Gov. J.B. Pritzker’s incumbency and the state’s blue leanings.
House
Rep. Mike Bost (IL-12, incumbent)
Rep. Mary Miller (IL-15, incumbent): In a test of Trump’s endorsement power, Miller won her primary against Rep. Rodney Davis (R-Ill.), a win that came just several days after Trump held a rally in the state with her. Though both have supported the former president, Davis, unlike Miller, did not object to certifying the 2020 election results. He also supported establishing a commission to look into the Jan. 6, 2021 Capitol riot along with Illinois Republican Rep. Adam Kinzinger (R), though that effort later failed in the Senate.
Rep. Darin LaHood (IL-16): LaHood currently represents the 18th Congressional District and is running in the 16th.
OKLAHOMA (June 28)
Statewide races
Gov. Kevin Stitt (incumbent)
House
Rep. Kevin Hern (OK-1, incumbent)
Rep. Frank D. Lucas (OK-3, incumbent)
Rep. Tom Cole (OK-4, incumbent)
UTAH (June 28)
Senate
Sen. Mike Lee (incumbent): Lee handily won the GOP Senate primary against two challengers on Tuesday, now taking on independent Senate candidate Evan McMullin, who has the backing of Utah Democrats.
House
Rep. Chris Stewart (UT-2, incumbent)
Rep. Burgess Owens (UT-4, incumbent)
VIRGINIA (June 21)
House
Rep. Rob Wittman (VA-1, incumbent)
Rep. Ben Cline (VA-6, incumbent)
Rep. H. Morgan Griffith (VA-9, incumbent)
NEVADA (June 14)
Statewide races
Clark County Sheriff Joe Lombardo, running for governor: Lombardo successfully won his race, fending off 14 other challengers in his primary. One of those challengers included former Sen. Dean Heller (R-Nev.), who received Trump’s endorsement during his 2018 Senate reelection bid before he later lost to Sen. Jackey Rosen (D-Nev.)
Senate
Former Nevada Attorney General Adam Laxalt: A former Trump reelection campaign co-chair in the Silver State, Laxalt won his primary in a crowd of seven other challengers. The former state attorney general also received the backing of a group aligned with Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) and Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis (R).
NORTH DAKOTA (June 14)
Senate
Sen. John Hoeven (incumbent)
House
Rep. Kelly Armstrong (at-large district in the state, incumbent)
SOUTH CAROLINA (June 14)
Statewide races
Gov. Henry McMaster (incumbent)
Attorney General Alan Wilson (incumbent)
Senate
Sen. Tim Scott (incumbent)
House
Rep. Joe Wilson (S.C.-2, incumbent)
Rep. Jeff Duncan (S.C.-3, incumbent)
Rep. William Timmons (S.C.-4, incumbent)
Rep. Ralph Norman (S.C.-5, incumbent)
State Rep. Russell Fry (S.C.-7): One of the biggest tests for the state’s primary was whether voters would choose to reelect Rice after he voted to impeach Trump. The state representative outpaced his opponent, getting 51 percent of the vote compared to Rice’s 25 percent, according to The New York Times’ primary results.
CALIFORNIA (JUNE 7)
House
Rep. Doug LaMalfa (CA-1, incumbent)
Kevin Kiley (CA-3)
Rep. Tom McClintock (CA-5): McClintock, who currently serves in the 4th Congressional District, is running in the 5th.
House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy (CA-20): Trump, who endorsed McCarthy just days before the California primary, called the House GOP Leader “strong and fearless.” Those remarks might have been considered unthinkable less than two months ago when audio recordings revealed that he was considering asking Trump to resign in the wake of the Jan. 6, 2021 Capitol riot. The two men, however, asserted that their relationship was intact following the reporting. McCarthy currently serves in the 23rd Congressional District but is running in the 20th.
Connie Conway (CA-22): Conway won her special election, which is filling out the remainder of former Rep. Devin Nunes’ term.
Rep. Darrell Issa (CA-48): Issa currently represents the 50th Congressional District but is running in the 48th.
IOWA (JUNE 7)
Statewide races
Gov. Kim Reynolds (incumbent)
Senate
Sen. Chuck Grassley (incumbent): Grassley, the oldest sitting Republican in the Senate currently, won his primary against Iowa state Sen. Jim Carlin. Democratic challenger retired Navy Adm. Mike Franken will now take on Grassley for his spot, who has served in the upper chamber since 1981.
House
Rep. Ashley Hinson (IA-1, incumbent)
Rep. Randy Feenstra (IA-4, incumbent)
MISSISSIPPI (JUNE 7)
House
Rep. Trent Kelly (MS-1, incumbent)
MONTANA (JUNE 7)
House
Rep. Matthew Rosendale (MT-2)
SOUTH DAKOTA (JUNE 7)
Statewide races
Gov. Kristi Noem (incumbent): Noem, considered a possible 2024 Republican presidential contender, won her primary as she seeks a second term as governor. Among some of the legislation she signed into law in her first term included bills barring transgender women athletes from playing on teams that align with their gender identity.
ALABAMA (MAY 24)
Senate primary runoff (June 21)
Katie Britt: Britt, a former aide to retiring Sen. Richard Shelby (R-Ala.) won the Republican Senate primary runoff more than a week after Trump endorsed her. After initially endorsing challenger Rep. Mo Brooks (R-Ala.) last year, Trump unendorsed his candidate after Brooks suggested people move on from the 2020 election. Neither candidate garner at least half of the vote to advance from their primary, forcing a runoff in which Trump later backed Britt. Given the state’s red leanings, Britt is all but certain to win her Senate bid.
House
Rep. Jerry Carl (AL-1, incumbent)
Rep. Barry Moore (AL-2, incumbent)
Rep. Mike Rogers (AL-3, incumbent)
Rep. Robert Aderholt (AL-4, incumbent)
Rep. Gary Palmer (AL-6, incumbent)
ARKANSAS (MAY 24)
Statewide races
Sarah Huckabee Sanders, running for governor: Sanders was a White House press secretary under Trump and the daughter of former Arkansas Gov. Mike Huckabee (R). Should she win in the general election, she would be the state’s first female governor.
Lt. Gov. Tim Griffin, running for attorney general
Senate
Sen. John Boozman (incumbent): Despite some criticism from challengers that he voted to affirm the results of the 2020 presidential election, he was able to win his primary against several other Republicans, including former NFL player Jake Bequette.
House
Rep. Eric “Rick” Crawford (ARK-1, incumbent)
Rep. Bruce Westerman (ARK-4, incumbent)
GEORGIA (MAY 24)
Senate
Herschel Walker: One of Trump’s key successes in the Georgia Republican primary came after the Georgia Senate hopeful won his GOP primary. The political newcomer and former NFL star now will take on incumbent Sen. Raphael Warnock (D-Ga.) in the general election.
House
Rep. Earl “Buddy” Carter (GA-1, incumbent)
Rep. Andrew Clyde (GA-9, incumbent)
Rep. Barry Loudermilk (GA-11, incumbent): Trump endorsed Loudermilk just days away from the Georgia primary and shortly after the House select committee investigating the Jan. 6, 2021 Capitol riot asked him to voluntarily cooperate with their probe.
Rep. Rick Allen (GA-12, incumbent)
Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene (GA-14, incumbent): A group of voters challenged the Georgia Republican’s candidacy in March with a judge ruling earlier this month that she could run again for Congress.
VIRGINIA (MAY 21)
House
Bob Good (VA-5)
IDAHO (MAY 17)
Senate
Sen. Mike Crapo (incumbent)
House
Rep. Russ Fulcher (ID-1, incumbent)
KENTUCKY (MAY 17)
Senate
Sen. Rand Paul (incumbent)
House
Rep. James Comer (KY-1, incumbent)
Rep. Brett Guthrie (KY-2, incumbent)
Rep. Thomas Massie (KY-4, incumbent): Trump endorsed Massie a week ahead of his primary despite the fact that he urged for the congressman to be booted from the Republican Party back in 2020.
Rep. Hal Rogers (KY-5, incumbent)
Rep. Andy Barr (KY-6, incumbent)
NORTH CAROLINA (MAY 17)
Senate
Rep. Ted Budd: Budd fended off a challenge from former North Carolina Gov. Pat McCrory (R). Former Vice President Pence said after Budd won his primary that he would be heading to the state to support the North Carolina Senate hopeful.
House
Rep. Greg Murphy (NC-3, incumbent)
Rep. Virginia Foxx (NC-5, incumbent)
Rep. David Rouzer (NC-7, incumbent)
Rep. Richard Hudson (NC-8, incumbent)
Rep. Dan Bishop (NC-9, incumbent)
Rep. Patrick McHenry (NC-10, incumbent)
Bo Hines (NC-13): Amid a crowded field of challengers, Hines, a 26-year-old former college football player won his GOP primary. He also received support from the conservative Club for Growth.
PENNSYLVANIA (MAY 17)
Statewide
State Sen. Doug Mastriano, running for governor: Trump endorsed Mastriano just several days before his primary, a controversial endorsement as a lawmaker who has been subpoenaed by the Jan. 6 committee. Other candidates who had vied for the gubernatorial bid included former Rep. Lou Barletta (R-Pa.), Montgomery County commissioner Joseph Gale, former U.S. Attorney William McSwain, and Ridley Township Commissioner Dave White.
Senate
On June 3, businessman David McCormick conceded to celebrity doctor Mehmet Oz, giving Trump another win among his endorsed primary candidates and just days before recount ordered by Pennsylvania acting Secretary of State Leigh Chapman was slated to be finished. Just 902 votes separated the two.
House
Jim Bognet (PA-8)
Rep. Scott Perry (PA-10)
Rep. Lloyd Smucker (PA-11)
Rep. John Joyce (PA-13)
Rep. Guy Reschenthaler (PA-14)
Rep. Mike Kelly (PA-16)
NEBRASKA (May 10)
Rep. Adrian Smith (NEB-3) (incumbent)
WEST VIRGINIA (May 10)
Rep. Carol Miller (WV-1): The congresswoman, who represents West Virginia’s 3rd Congressional District, ran for the state’s 1st Congressional District due to the decennial redistricting process.
Rep. Alex Mooney (WV-2): In the midterm cycle’s first member-on-member primary matchup, Mooney successfully beat fellow incumbent Rep. David McKinley (R), who was back by West Virginia Gov. Jim Justice (R). In perhaps a nod to the competitive nature of the race, Sen. Joe Manchin (D-W.Va.) also appeared in an ad for McKinley.
OHIO (May 3)
Statewide races
Secretary of State Frank LaRose (incumbent)
Attorney General Dave Yost (incumbent)
Treasurer Robert Sprague (incumbent)
Auditor Keith Faber (incumbent)
Senate race
J.D. Vance, running for Sen. Rob Portman’s (R-Ohio) Senate seat: In what was considered the largest test of Trump’s endorsement in a competitive Republican primary thus far, Vance won his primary and is now set to challenge Rep. Tim Ryan (D) for the seat. The win was an example of how the onetime Trump critic could later clench the former president’s endorsement and win the competitive GOP primary.
House races
Rep. Steve Chabot (OH-1, incumbent)
Rep. Brad Wenstrup (OH-2, incumbent)
Rep. Jim Jordan (OH-4, incumbent)
Rep. Robert Latta (OH-5, incumbent)
Rep. Bill Johnson (OH-6, incumbent)
Max Miller (OH-7): A former Trump aide, Miller won his GOP primary against three other opponents.
Rep. Warren Davidson (OH-8, incumbent)
Rep. Michael Turner (OH-10, incumbent)
Rep. Troy Balderson (OH-12, incumbent)
Madison Gesiotto Gilbert (OH-13): In addition to being endorsed by Trump, the House candidate also received backing from House Republican Conference Chairwoman Elise Stefanik’s (R-N.Y) super PAC in March.
Rep. Mike Carey (OH-15, incumbent)
INDIANA (May 3)
House
Rep. Jackie Walorski (IND-2, incumbent)
Rep. Jim Banks (IND-3, incumbent)
Rep. Jim Baird (IND-4, incumbent)
Rep. Victoria Spartz (IND-5, incumbent)
Rep. Greg Pence (IND-6, incumbent): Pence, whose brother is former Vice President Mike Pence, won his primary with 78 percent of the vote. Trump’s endorsement came despite the fact that Trump and his former No. 2 have broken with each other over certifying the 2020 presidential election results.
Rep. Larry Bucshon (IND-8, incumbent)
TEXAS (March 1)
Statewide races
Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton (incumbent), who beat Texas land commissioner George P. Bush in a runoff
State Sen. Dawn Buckingham, who is running for Texas land commissioner (currently held by George P. Bush, who is running for Texas attorney general)
Texas Comptroller Glenn Hegar (incumbent)
Texas Agriculture Commissioner Sid Miller (incumbent)
Texas Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick (incumbent)
Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton is heading into a runoff with challenger George P. Bush
House
Rep. Pat Fallon (TX-4; incumbent)
Rep. Lance Gooden (TX-5; incumbent)
Rep. Jake Ellzey (TX-6; incumbent): Trump endorsed Ellzey in February after he beat Trump-endorsed challenger Susan Wright (R-Texas) in a runoff last summer.
Rep. Michael McCaul (TX-10; incumbent): Trump backed McCaul last November, despite the congressman’s moves to certify the 2020 presidential election results and previously saying there “may have been impeachable offenses committed leading up to” the Capitol riot that took place on Jan. 6, 2021.
Rep. August Pfluger (TX-11; incumbent)
Rep. Ronny Jackson (TX-13; incumbent)
Rep. Randy Weber (TX-14; incumbent)
Monica De La Cruz (TX-15): De La Cruz won with more than 55 percent of the vote. Trump endorsed her in February despite allegations from her estranged husband that she verbally abused her 14-year-old made, which she has denied.
Rep. Jodey Arrington (TX-19; incumbent)
Rep. Troy Nehls (TX-22; incumbent)
Rep. Beth Van Duyne (TX-24; incumbent)
Rep. Roger Williams (TX-25; incumbent)
Rep. Michael Cloud (TX-27; incumbent)
Rep. John Carter (TX-31; incumbent)
Rep. Brain Babin (TX-36; incumbent)
Wesley Hunt (TX-38): Hunt received more than 55 percent of the vote, according to The Texas Tribune. His campaign told The Hill back in March that he would be making checks out to more than a dozen Republican House candidates in an effort to get more GOP members elected in the upcoming midterms.
Updated: Aug. 17 at 4:37 p.m.
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