A Near Sweep for Trump’s Primary Candidates

Voters enter and leave a polling location in Boise during Idaho's primary on May 17, 2022. Allan Stein/The Epoch Times

Commentary

Contrary to the hopes, wishes, dreams, and “absolutely certain predictions” of the GOP establishment, GOP consultants, Democrats, and their legacy media allies, Donald Trump’s “American First” juggernaut remains the political movement with all the real momentum in 2022.

The primary results in Pennsylvania, North Carolina, Kentucky, and Idaho are in. What must the likes of Mitch McConnell, Karl Rove, and Ronna McDaniel—exemplars of the GOP, GOP consulting class, and GOP political bureaucracy, respectively—be thinking as they assess the results of the May 17 primaries and runoff elections in several states? Their grand plans to neuter the America First movement in the manner used to thwart the Tea Party movement’s candidates a decade ago are going up in smoke.

Those tactics include the following: out-of-state GOP money to preferred candidates/incumbents (for example, for Dave McCormick in Pennsylvania); use of open primaries to entice Democrat crossover votes for preferred GOP candidates with strong political machines (for example, in Alaska); dirty tricks operations against “America First” candidates (for example, against Eric Greitens in Missouri); vote-splitting among multiple establishment candidates to dilute the “America First” vote (that didn’t work in Ohio!); and visible support from well-known GOP personalities for preferred candidates (for example, in support of Brian Kemp in Georgia).

The ongoing battle royale between the GOP and Trump’s “America First” movement is a clash of ideologies and priorities that will determine the future of the Republican Party and the country. After all, who (other than Democrat activists and grifters of government largesse) would vote for a continuation of Democrat-induced stagflation, open borders, exploding crime, and gasoline prices approaching $5 per gallon in some states?

The GOP positions on important issues are virtually the same as the Democratic Party’s stances for open borders (and pro-H1B visas), free trade/anti-tariffs, endless overseas wars (for example, Ukraine), corporate tax breaks and subsidies, a continuation of a bloated federal government (while claiming that “the GOP can deliver everything cheaper”), and lip service to energy independence, anti-corruption laws, ending vaccine mandates, and election integrity.

GOP candidates campaign on longstanding core Republican principles and issues, and then govern through compromises with Democrats while conveniently forgetting those principles and the campaign promises made to their constituents.

Meanwhile, the “America First” movement issues are virtually the opposite and call for tight border security, U.S. energy independence, trade tariffs to build and protect U.S. industries, tax cuts for individuals, ending COVID vaccine mandates, going against unofficially declared foreign wars, U.S. military superiority, American exceptionalism and traditional values, reducing the federal government to constitutional provisions only, accountability for political crimes (especially those that are obvious), and restoring constitutionally-guaranteed freedoms, equal justice under the law, and total integrity in all future elections.

“America First” voters expect their candidates to govern and vote according to campaign promises made, with Trump as the shining example of how that is done.

Going into Tuesday’s primary and runoff elections, Trump-endorsed candidates had won all races in 2022 except one, as reported here: “Following the primaries in Nebraska and West Virginia, President Donald Trump’s record of primary endorsements in 2022 currently stands at 58 wins and just one loss,” according to The Tennessee Star.

Here are the state-by-state results from Tuesday for Trump’s endorsed candidates; the big contested wins are highlighted in additional commentary:

Pennsylvania

Republican U.S. Senate candidate Mehmet Oz greets supporters after the primary race resulted in an automatic recount due to close results on May 17, 2022, in Newtown, Pa. Stephanie Keith/Getty Images

Mehmet Oz (U.S. Senate): As of Wednesday morning, Dr. Oz leads RINO David McCormick by almost 3,000 votes with a recount in the queue, as well as many noted “election irregularities” that need to be investigated. This race was a victim of GOP vote-splitting among several candidates.

Doug Mastriano (governor): Winner! The legacy media are characterizing this landslide winner as an “extreme right-wing conspiracy theorist” who campaigned on investigating the 2020 election and implementing election integrity measures. NBC News has its own special pejorative for Mastriano: “far-right election denier.”

Other winners: Jim Bognet (PA-08), John Joyce (PA-13), Mike Kelly (PA-16), Scott Perry (PA-10), Guy Reschenthaler (PA-14), and Lloyd Smucker (PA-11).

North Carolina

Ted Budd, who is running for U.S. Senate, speaks before a rally for former U.S. President Donald Trump in Selma, North Carolina, on April 9, 2022. Allison Joyce/Getty Images

Ted Budd (U.S. Senate): Winner in a landslide! Trump’s endorsement apparently made a big difference in this race.

Other winners: Dan Bishop (NC-09), Virginia Foxx (NC-05), Bo Hines (NC-13), Richard Hudson (NC-09), Patrick McHenry (NC-10), Greg Murphy (NC-03), and David Rouzer (NC-07).

Madison Cawthorn (NC-11): Lost by around 1,300 votes in an eight-person race.

Kentucky

Winners: Andy Barr (KY-06), James Comer (KY-01), Brett Guthrie (KY-02), Thomas Massie (KY-04), and Hal Rogers (KY-05).

Idaho

U.S. Sen. Mike Crapo (R-Idaho) attends a press conference on inflation at the Russell Senate Office Building in Washington on Feb. 16, 2022. Crapo blamed the near-record high inflation on the Biden administration and the Democratic fiscal agenda. Kevin Dietsch/Getty Images

Winners: Mike Crapo (U.S. Senate) and Russ Fulcher (ID-01).

Janice McGeachin (governor): Lost to the incumbent RINO governor.

Up Next

The Georgia primary (early voting in process) and the Texas runoff elections will be completed on May 24. Here are the Trump-endorsed candidates in those two states:

Georgia: Early voting is underway with typically conflicting media reports and exit polling.

Candidates: Herschel Walker (U.S. Senate), David Perdue (governor), Burt Jones (lieutenant governor), John Gordon (attorney general), Jody Hice (secretary of state), Jake Evans (GA-06), Marjorie Taylor Greene (GA-14), Vernon Jones (GA-10), and Patrick Witt (insurance and fire commissioner).

Texas (runoffs) candidates: Ken Paxton (attorney general), Dawn Buckingham (land commissioner), Fred Frazier (TX-61), Pete Flores (Texas Senate), and Phil Sorrells (Tarrant County district attorney).

Conclusion

Trump-endorsed candidates won all but two races on Tuesday, with the U.S. Senate race in Pennsylvania being too close to call.

Trump’s endorsement of Ted Budd in the U.S. Senate race in North Carolina arguably made a big difference in that race. Also, in North Carolina, GOP vote-splitting tactics worked to defeat conservative upstart incumbent Congressman Madison Cawthorn. The rest of Trump’s endorsements handily won in North Carolina.

In Pennsylvania, the pro-election integrity candidate Doug Mastriano won in a landslide, to the dismay of RINOs in the state legislature. They have thus far thwarted real investigations into 2020 election fraud (which are now made even more warranted by the 1,100 mules in Philadelphia identified in the documentary “2000 Mules”). The GOP vote-splitting may end up electing RINO David McCormick in the U.S. Senate race, although Dr. Oz (Trump’s endorsement) holds a slim lead going into a mandatory recount and investigation(s) of “irregularities.”

Janice McGeachin, Trump’s endorsed candidate, lost in a landslide to the incumbent RINO governor in Idaho.

All of Trump’s endorsed candidates won in Kentucky.

Rumors of Trump’s waning popularity among Republicans—and presumed political demise—were not borne out by Tuesday’s results! Trump’s political endorsement remains the gold standard for Republican candidates.

Let’s see what happens in Georgia and Texas.