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Top One Magazine

Trump made 42 endorsements in recent primaries. Here’s who won — and who we’re still waiting on.

Former President Donald Trump went all-in on several election-denying candidates for the Aug. 2 primaries — but as the votes rolled in, he seemed to come out on shaky ground.

Many highly watched races have yet to be called, including for two GOP pro-impeachment incumbents: Washington Reps. Jaime Herrera Beutler and Dan Newhouse. Michigan Rep. Peter Meijer, who voted to impeach Trump as one of his first acts in Congress, conceded defeat to a former official in Trump’s administration early Wednesday morning. The fact that these battles were, and are, close might signal Trump’s hold on the party is loosening.

A couple races have been tighter than Trump would like: Arizona gubernatorial candidate Kari Lake has just a few points over Karrin Taylor Robson and the results are pending. Still, Trump’s chosen candidate for Arizona secretary of state, Mark Finchem, blew past the competition and Senate hopeful Blake Masters also ended the night more than 10 points ahead of rival Jim Lamon.

One win was the most technical yet: Trump announced late Monday that “ERIC has my complete and total endorsement!” Then he left voters to make up their minds as both Senate “ERIC” candidates rushed to thank him. In the end, state attorney general Eric Schmitt came out with the victory, much to the relief of top Republicans nationwide.


The former president also endorsed more down ballot candidates in Michigan than anywhere else, making good on his promise from when he visited the state in April: “This is not just about 2022… This is about making sure Michigan is not rigged and stolen again in 2024.”

Arizona wins so far

Attorney General

Abraham Hamadeh

Won with 32 percent of the vote.

SECRETARY OF STATE

Mark Finchem


Won with 41 percent of the vote.

The first one to garner a Trump Arizona endorsement, Finchem has been connected to election denialism, QAnon events and the Jan. 6 riots, making him an easy endorsement for the former president. Finchem also belongs to a group of secretary of state hopefuls who aim to get other MAGA candidates into the position to further conrol voting access and policy.

“Mark was willing to say what few others had the courage to say,” Trump said, complimenting his “incredibly powerful stance on the massive voter fraud.”

SENATE

Blake Masters

Won with 39 percent of the vote.

Masters boasted $15 million of venture capitalist and longtime employer Peter Thiel’s money to try to keep up with his opponent — and Trump’s endorsement was the turning point.

In May, the former president saw Masters attend a showing of an election conspiracy documentary at Mar-a-Lago and said that gave him an edge over his opponents, according to an Axios account. “He’s strong on everything needed to keep Arizona first,” Trump said in a Masters ad that ran in July. “Mark Brnovich and Jim Lamon, on the other hand, will only let you down.”

But the nominee will face a steep race against incumbent Sen. Mark Kelly.

AZ01

David Schweikert

Won with 43 percent of the vote.

AZ02

Eli Crane

Won with 34 percent of the vote.

AZ04

Rep. Paul Gosar

Won with 65 percent of the vote. He voted to overturn 2020 election results.

Trump endorsed the incumbent representative the day after Gosar’s chamber passed a resolution to remove the congressman from committee assignments for posting an anime video appearing to attack Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez and President Joe Biden.

Gosar has been on the margins within the House this year, even gaining rebuke from House minority leader Kevin McCarthy for speaking at a white nationalist event in March. But Trump said the congressman “has been a loyal supporter of our America First agenda, and even more importantly, the USA.”

AZ08

Rep. Debbie Lesko

Unopposed. She voted to overturn 2020 election results.

State Senate District 10

David Farnsworth

Won with 64 percent of the vote.

Still pending in Arizona

  • Kari Lake (Governor)
  • Wendy Rogers (State Senate District 7)
  • Rob Scantlebury (State Senate District 9)
  • Anthony Kern (State Senate District 27)
  • Janae Shamp (State Senate District 29)

Kansas wins

GOVERNOR

Derek Schmidt

Won with around 81 percent of the vote.

SENATE

Jerry Moran

Won with around 81 percent of the vote.

KS01

Rep. Tracey Mann

Unopposed. She voted to overturn 2020 election results.

Missouri wins

MO03

Rep. Blaine Luetkemeyer

Won with 70 percent of the vote. He voted to overturn 2020 election results.

MO06

Rep. Sam Graves

Won with 76 percent of the vote.

MO08

Rep. Jason Smith

Won with 82 percent of the vote. He voted to overturn 2020 election results.

Michigan wins

GOVERNOR

Tudor Dixon


Won with around 41 percent of the vote.

Trump gave a last-minute endorsement to Dixon last week, ahead of an already competitive and chaotic gubernatorial election, in which five contenders were disqualified and one was charged with misdemeanors related to the Jan. 6 riots. By the time Trump got involved, two of the front-runners had been removed from the race and Dixon had already attracted high-profile supporters, including former Secretary of Education Betsy DeVos’ family.

Even so, Trump credited himself with boosting her campaign “like a rocket ship.”

“When I met Tudor Dixon, she was not well known, but I could tell she had something very special,” he said in his endorsement.


ATTORNEY GENERAL

Matthew DePerno

Not chosen by a primary vote — expected to receive the party’s nomination at a convention later in August.

SECRETARY OF STATE

Kristina Karamo

Not chosen by a primary vote — expected to receive the party’s nomination at a convention later in August.

Karamo, who is part of the same coalition of secretary of state hopefuls as Finchem, gained prominence as a poll challenger in 2020 after claiming Michigan’s election machines were fraudulent. Trump said Karamo was strong on crime, adding, “Good luck, Kristina, and while you’re at it, check out the Fake Election results that took place in the city of Detroit.”

MI02

Rep. Bill Huizenga

Unopposed.

MI03

John Gibbs


Won with around 52 percent of the vote.

Gibbs, Trump’s former director of the Office of Personnel Management, faced a key rival: Rep. Peter Meijer, one of 10 House Republicans who voted in favor of impeachment.

As the congressman’s poll numbers dropped for his vote decision, Gibbs was able to overcome Meijer’s household name status and funding. Unlike Meijer, the “terrible representative of the Republican Party… [Gibbs] will not turn his back on Michigan,” Trump said in his endorsement.

Meijer resigned late into the night.

MI04

Rep. John Moolenaar

Won with 65 percent of the vote.

MI07

Rep. Tim Walberg

Won with 67 percent of the vote. He voted to overturn 2020 election results.

MI09

Lisa McClain

Won with 79 percent of the vote.

MI10

John James

Won with 86 percent of the vote.

STATE HOUSE DISTRICT 36

Steve Carra

Won with 40 percent of the vote.

state senate district 17

Jonathan Lindsey

Won with 61 percent of the vote.

state house district 51

Matt Maddock

Unopposed.

State House District 43

Rachelle Smit

Won with 50 percent of the vote.

State House District 79

Angela Rigas

Won with 59 percent of the vote.

State House District 99

Mike Hoadley

Won with 58 percent of the vote.

Still pending in Washington

  • Joe Kent (WA03)
  • Loren Culp (WA04)

ICYMI: A Maryland win on July 19

GOVERNOR

Daniel Cox


Won with 52 percent of the vote.

Cox is a former state delegate who chartered buses for the Jan. 6 Capitol riot and regularly promoted Trump’s stolen election theories.

His win was a blow to the state GOP’s moderate wing and its ability to influence Maryland voters. But it was especially sweet for Trump, who backed Cox over term-limited Gov. Larry Hogan’s pick, Kelly Schulz. They all have history: Hogan repeatedly criticized Trump while he was in office, while Cox attempted to impeach the Maryland governor in February.

Trump took a hit at both Hogan and Schulz in a statement before the July 19 election, asking voters to “Get rid of Shutdown RINO Larry Hogan who is trying to get another RINO into office, Kelly Schulz.”

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Author: POLITICO