2 years ago
With a roster of more than 130 endorsements in midterm races to date, Donald Trump has put his political capital on the line in dozens of states and scores of primaries.
Last year, in special Senate and House elections, the former president's record was mixed: Kelly Loeffler of Georgia and Susan Wright of Texas lost their bids, while Mike Carey of Ohio and Julia Letlow of Louisiana won.
This year, his record is considerably better. In the March Texas primaries, his first true test of 2022, all of Trump’s chosen congressional and statewide candidates won their races with the exception of scandal-plagued state Attorney General Ken Paxton, who is in a runoff later this month.
In Tuesday's Indiana and Ohio primaries, Trump once again ran the table: All 22 of his endorsed candidates won. He threw his support behind almost every House GOP incumbent running for reelection — and a few hopefuls in open seat primaries — and his preferred candidate won in every case. His pick in the the highest profile race of the day, the Ohio Senate GOP primary, also won the nomination largely due to Trump's endorsement power.
Of course, the bar for success wasn't that high: Trump backed numerous incumbents who faced token primary opposition or were unopposed.
Notably, Trump did not endorse in the Ohio governor's race, where Republican Gov. Mike DeWine — one of the first prominent Republicans to acknowledge President Joe Biden’s victory — fended off a stiff primary challenge. Trump bypassed the Indiana Senate race as well, where Sen. Todd Young — who said Trump bears responsibility for the January 6 attacks — won renomination. Trump also didn’t back Rep. David Joyce, the incumbent in Ohio’s 14th District, who issued a statement last year denying that the 2020 election was stolen.
Here is a look at the 22 Trump-endorsed candidates who won Tuesday.
Ohio wins
Secretary of State
Frank LaRose
Won with 65 percent of the vote. The incumbent secretary of state was an ardent defender of the 2020 election process, saying both Trump and Biden needed to stop questioning election integrity. But LaRose took a more partisan turn in the last few months, tweeting that “President Trump is right to say voter fraud is a serious problem,” despite no evidence of widespread malpractice.
Attorney General
Dave Yost
Unopposed.
U.S. Senate
J.D. Vance
Won with 32 percent of the vote.
Vance, the author of the book “Hillbilly Elegy,” once referred to Trump as “an idiot,” called himself a “Never Trump guy” and said he considered voting for Hillary Clinton. But he changed his tune once he began his pursuit of the Senate nomination. His conversion to full-throated Trump supporter paid off as Trump delivered his stamp of approval not long before the primary — an endorsement that helped power Vance to victory. Vance will face Democratic nominee Tim Ryan in November.
Treasurer
Robert Sprague
Unopposed.
Auditor
Keith Faber
Unopposed.
OH-01
Steve Chabot
Unopposed. Chabot voted to overturn 2020 election results.
OH-02
Brad Wenstrup
Won with 78 percent of the vote.
OH-04
Jim Jordan
Unopposed. Jordan voted to overturn 2020 election results.
OH-05
Robert Latta
Unopposed.
OH-06
Bill Johnson
Won with 77 percent of the vote. Johnson voted to overturn 2020 election results.
OH-07
Max Miller
Won with 72 percent of the vote.
Miller, a former Trump aide, was by far the highest fundraiser in the race for the solid Republican district. He was originally endorsed by Trump to take on Rep. Anthony Gonzalez, who was one of 10 House Republicans to vote for Trump's impeachment before he decided to retire.
OH-08
Warren Davidson
Won with 71 percent of the vote. Davidson voted to overturn 2020 election results.
OH-10
Michael Turner
Unopposed.
OH-12
Troy Balderson
Won with 82 percent of the vote.
OH-13
Madison Gesiotto Gilbert
Won with 29 percent of the vote.
Gesiotto Gilbert is a conservative commentator and attorney who served as co-chair of the Women for Trump advisory board.
OH-15
Mike Carey
Unopposed. Carey, a former coal lobbyist, got Trump’s endorsement last year during a special election to replace Republican Rep. Steve Stivers. He captured it a second time in April, as Trump noted, "With my endorsement, Mike resoundingly won his special election last year."
Indiana wins
IN-02
Jackie Walorski
Unopposed. Walorski voted to overturn 2020 election results.
IN-03
Jim Banks
Unopposed. The head of the Republican Study Committee, the House GOP's largest caucus, Banks voted to overturn 2020 election results.
IN-04
James Baird
Unopposed. Baird voted to overturn 2020 election results.
IN-05
Victoria Spartz
Unopposed.
IN-06
Greg Pence
Won with 78 percent of the vote.
The older brother of former Vice President Mike Pence, Greg Pence voted to overturn 2020 election results. In his endorsement, Trump made no mention of his strained relationship with Pence's younger brother. “Greg is working hard to reverse Joe Biden’s disastrous record of out-of-control Inflation and restore the respect our Country deserves from abroad. He is Strong on the Border, Protects Life, Defends the Second Amendment, and Supports our brave Military and Vets,” Trump said in a statement.
IN-08
Larry Bucshon
Unopposed.
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