In the elections held on Tuesday, former US President Trump continued to maintain his near-perfect record of endorsing candidates who secured victories in the current round of congressional elections. All candidates supported by him won over their opponents in the primaries.
Tuesday saw the conclusion of primary elections in the states of Maine, Nevada, North Dakota, and South Carolina. Ohio also held a special election in its deeply conservative sixth congressional district. Voters in these regions chose their preferred candidates to compete in the November elections.
Although voter turnout in these five states was generally low, these elections will help shape the future of Congress.
Ohio elected a new federal Congressman, determining contenders who may influence the control of Congress in 2025. One constant fact in the Republican primaries was that Trump still holds considerable influence.
South Carolina Federal Congressman Nancy Mace is a prime example of Trump’s ongoing influence within the party. According to reports from Decision Desk HQ, Mace easily won the fiercely contested primary in the state’s first congressional district with over 58% of the vote, defeating her closest rival and former gubernatorial candidate Catherine Templeton by nearly 30 percentage points.
In South Carolina’s fourth congressional district, Congressman William Timmons, whom Trump endorsed just a day before the election, defeated conservative state representative Adam Morgan in the primary challenge. Based on Decision Desk HQ data, the race was tight, with Timmons prevailing over Morgan by a slim margin of 5 percentage points.
The former president and Republican presidential candidate also saw success in the Senate primary in Nevada. The candidate he supported at the last minute, Army veteran Sam Brown, emerged victorious over former US ambassador to Iceland Jeffrey Gunter and former state assemblyman Jim Marchant. Brown will now face Democratic Senator Jacky Rosen in November.
Having faced defeat in the 2022 Republican Senate primary in Nevada, Brown received support from the National Republican Senate Committee this time. With the endorsement from Trump after a rally in Las Vegas on Sunday, Brown gained momentum on the social media platform “Truth Social.”
In the Republican primary for the second congressional district in Maine, Trump-backed state representative Austin Theriault easily defeated fellow Republican state representative Mike Soboleski. Theriault, a former NASCAR driver, will now challenge the incumbent Democratic Congressman Jared Golden for the seat.
In North Dakota, Congressman Kelly Armstrong secured a landslide victory over Lieutenant Governor Tammy Miller in the Republican primary by more than 73 percentage points, becoming the chosen successor to Governor Doug Burgum.
The special election in Ohio’s deeply conservative sixth congressional district arose after former Congressman Bill Johnson (Ohio Republican) decided to resign in January, with the winner filling the remaining term. Republican State Senator Michael Rulli narrowly defeated Democratic candidate Michael Kripchak by approximately 9 percentage points. Rulli and Kripchak will face off again in November.
Following a series of resignations among Republican federal congressmen, Rulli’s victory brought the Republican majority to 219 seats, while the Democrats hold 213 seats in Congress.