Tuesday was a rough primary night for Donald Trump — and he wasn’t even on the ballot.
The former president endorsed a replacement for Sen. Mitt Romney, but Utah voters picked a Trump skeptic instead. He backed his spiritual adviser for an open South Carolina House seat only to watch him narrowly lose in a runoff. Trump threw his support to the Colorado GOP chair for a House district; he was blown out by more than 30 points.
On the heels of two other recent flops and one high-profile near-miss in Virginia that could have been embarrassing, the string of losses mars a nearly unblemished record this cycle.
The Trump endorsement is still clearly powerful — and highly coveted by Republicans — and Tuesday’s losses are notable because they are so rare. Trump’s backing is priceless political currency, so it’s jarring when its recipients fall short, indicating there is a limit to his sway and political operation: Trump’s endorsement is powerful, but it’s not all-powerful.
He can’t single-handedly defeat heavy outside spending against his chosen candidates, as the results indicate. And he can’t save them from personal controversies that turn voters off.
Yes, where Mitt Romney is popular Trump’s endorsement doesn’t have as much power. This was just as true in 2018.