Trump-endorsed candidates pull through against primary challengers

Former President Trump continued his near-perfect record of congressional endorsements this cycle in Tuesday night’s elections, as all the candidates he supported emerged victorious over their primary opponents.

Voting wrapped up in four states Tuesday: Maine, Nevada, North Dakota and South Carolina. Ohio also held a special election in the deep-red 6th district.

Rep. Nancy Mace (R-S.C.) emerged as one of the clearest examples of Trump’s continued sway in the party; she handily won a competitive primary in which she needed to win a majority —rather than just a plurality — in a three-person race.

With Trump’s endorsement, Mace received just more than 58 percent of the vote, nearly 30 points ahead of former South Carolina state official Catherine Templeton, who placed second ahead of nonprofit leader Bill Young, according to Decision Desk HQ (DDHQ).

The race was the first opportunity for former Speaker Kevin McCarthy (R-Calif.) to get his revenge on the Republicans who voted for his ouster, but her easy victory served as a black eye for the retired lawmaker.

Elsewhere in South Carolina, Rep. William Timmons (R-S.C.) — whom Trump endorsed just one day ahead of the race — defeated a primary challenge by conservative state Rep. Adam Morgan (R), who founded the Freedom Caucus in the state House. The race was close, with Timmons defeating Morgan by just 5 percentage points, per DDHQ.

The former president, who is also the presumptive GOP nominee for the White House, also scored a victory in Nevada, where the candidate he endorsed at the last minute, Republican Sam Brown, defeated former U.S. Ambassador to Iceland Jeff Gunter and former State Assemblyman Jim Marchant to take on Sen. Jacky Rosen (D-Nev.) in November.

In the Republican primary for Maine’s 2nd Congressional District to face incumbent Democratic Rep. Jared Golden, Trump-endorsed state Rep. Austin Theriault (R), a former NASCAR driver, easily defeated his fellow GOP state Rep. Mike Soboleski.

And in North Dakota, Rep. Kelly Armstrong overwhelmingly topped Lt. Gov. Tammy Miller in the GOP primary race to succeed outgoing Gov. Doug Burgum (R). Armstrong was the favorite going in with support from Trump, North Dakota Sens. Kevin Cramer and John Hoeven and the state party, but the two-term incumbent Burgum endorsed Miller. 

Trump’s choice to succeed Armstrong as the lone House member for the state, North Dakota Public Service Commission member Julie Fedorchak, also comfortably won in a crowded field.