Trump’s kingmaker power faces its biggest test yet as billion-dollar primaries explode across America

Trump’s kingmaker power faces its biggest test yet as billion-dollar primaries explode across America Trump has been at the center of this year’s midterm campaigns, and his influence will be tested in different ways on Tuesday as four states and the District of Columbia hold primaries - Bookmark - CommentsGo to comments The enduring power of Donald Trump’s endorsement faces critical tests in upcoming Republican primaries across four states and the District of Columbia. Can his backing outweigh vast campaign spending in Georgia, elevate an insider in Alabama, or transform a dark horse into a front-runner in Oklahoma? Trump has remained a central figure in this year’s midterm campaigns, and his influence will be scrutinized as voters head to the polls in Alabama, California, the District of Columbia, Georgia, and Oklahoma. Meanwhile, Democratic primaries will highlight longstanding divides between progressives and moderates, as the party seeks its optimal strategy for November. Nothing is certain in politics, but a "complete and total endorsement" from Trump has often been considered the surest path to winning a Republican primary. This truism is being challenged in Georgia’s gubernatorial race, where healthcare tycoon Rick Jackson has poured over $100 million into his campaign, directly opposing Trump-backed Lt. Gov. Burt Jones in a runoff. Trump endorsed Jones over a year ago and reiterated his support last week, praising Jones’ "Courage and Wisdom" in a social media post. Rarely has the strength of Trump’s endorsement been tested against such a lopsided spending disparity. Jones secured 38% to Jackson’s 33% in the May 19 primary, leaving the decision to voters who initially supported neither. Oklahoma’s Republican primary for governor presents another unique test of Trump’s influence. There, the president weighed in late, endorsing former state Sen. Mike Mazzei two weeks ago amidst a crowded field without a clear front-runner. The race will proceed to a runoff if no candidate achieves a majority. This follows an earlier setback for Trump, whose preferred candidate for governor of Iowa, U.S. Rep. Randy Feenstra, lost to Zach Lahn in that state’s primary. The "Make America Great Again" movement, once an insurgent force, now finds itself backing establishment figures. This shift is central to the Republican primary runoff for Alabama’s open Senate seat. Trump supports U.S. Rep. Barry Moore, a three-term congressman who has promised to be "a warrior for President Trump’s ‘America First’ agenda." He faces former Navy SEAL Jared Hudson, who positions himself as a Washington outsider, attempting to harness the same anti-establishment fervor that propelled Trump to power to defeat Trump’s preferred candidate. As Alabama is a Republican stronghold, the primary winner is heavily favored to prevail in November over either of Tuesday’s Democratic runoff candidates, business owner Dakarai Larriett and lawyer Everett Wess. The seat is being vacated by Sen. Tommy Tuberville. In the District of Columbia, the mayoral primary highlights the rise of democratic socialism and the introduction of a new voting system. Leading Democratic contender Janeese Lewis George, a self-described democratic socialist, draws parallels to Zohran Mamdani’s upset victory for New York City mayor last year. Her candidacy has even drawn the attention of Trump, who indicated days before the primary that he might "take over the city" if George won, a threat she condemned as "an attack on democracy itself." The city’s relationship with Trump, marked by an open-ended deployment of National Guard troops and cuts to the federal workforce, remains a key campaign issue. Some residents expressed frustration that current Mayor Muriel Bowser did not sufficiently push back against the administration. George’s platform, which heavily focuses on affordability, includes a pledge to "protect Home Rule" with "leaders that stand up and fight back, not shrink in the face of injustice." George and fellow Democrat Kenyan McDuffie, who is focused on public safety, are among the seven candidates whose race will be the first decided with D.C.’s new ranked-choice voting system. Under this system, voters rank candidates, and if no one crosses the 50% threshold in the popular vote, residents’ second choices come into play. Election officials have warned that this new process could delay results by days. The race for Georgia Secretary of State is shadowed by the 2020 election controversy. Six years ago, Brad Raffensperger famously resisted Trump’s unfounded claims of election fraud and his request to "find 11,800 votes." Now, in the first open election for the seat since Raffensperger’s defiance, the two Republican runoff candidates echo Trump’s falsehoods to varying degrees. Candidate Vernon Jones, who switched parties to align with Trump, has stated he believes there were "irregularities" and "violations" and that he stands "with those who believe there was election fraud." Three of his four key platform points concern election management, including stronger voter identification rules and the requirement of in-person voting. His opponent, State Rep. Tim Fleming, has tiptoed around the topic, acknowledging "irregularities" in 2020 but adding that he’s "not running on conspiracy theories." Still, four of his seven platform points focus on election management, with one stating the state should "make it impossible for the Left to cheat in our elections." This mirrors recent events in California, where Trump’s baseless claim that Democrats were cheating to defeat Republican candidates prompted federal fraud investigations by the U.S. attorney’s office in Los Angeles. A special election to fill Eric Swalwell’s seat after sexual assault allegations. Swalwell resigned from the U.S. House in April after a woman alleged that he had sexually assaulted her twice, saying she was too intoxicated to consent to sex in both cases. The Democrat, who denied accusations, dropped out of the governor’s race and resigned from Congress. This prompted a special primary election on Tuesday, where both Republican and Democratic candidates will compete to serve out Swalwell’s term until January. If a candidate secures more than 50% of the vote, they win outright; otherwise, the top two contenders will proceed to an August 18 runoff. In this heavily Democratic district, state senator Aisha Wahab, a progressive, competes against Melissa Hernandez, a more centrist Bay Area Rapid Transit director. Wahab targets "corporate profiteering" and advocates for expanding social safety nets, while Hernandez focuses on local job growth and supporting small businesses. Both candidates are also running in the regular primary election for Swalwell’s seat and will face off in the general election in November. Join our commenting forum Join thought-provoking conversations, follow other Independent readers and see their replies Comments