Donald Trump just suffered one of his most awkward and embarrassing primary defeats yet.
In Michigan’s Republican primary for the state’s highly competitive 8th Congressional District, Trump’s handpicked candidate, Amir Hassan, is on track to lose—not to an active opponent, but to a Republican who dropped out of the race weeks ago.
With about 99 percent of the vote counted Wednesday morning, former candidate Thomas J. Smith led Hassan by more than 17 percentage points, according to the Associated Press and The Detroit News.
The result is remarkable because Smith suspended his campaign in July and publicly endorsed fellow Republican Al Lemmo. But since Smith’s name remained on the ballot, Republican voters overwhelmingly chose him anyway.
Trump had thrown his support behind Hassan just days before the election, touting him on Truth Social as his preferred candidate for the seat. It didn’t matter.
Instead, GOP voters delivered a stunning rebuke by backing someone who wasn’t even actively running.
The loss adds to a growing list of Trump-backed candidates who have failed to translate the president’s endorsement into victory. While Trump frequently boasts about his endorsement record, Tuesday’s result serves as another reminder that his political blessing is no longer a guaranteed ticket to the winner’s circle.
The winner of the Republican primary will challenge Democratic Rep. Kristen McDonald Rivet in November in one of the nation’s most closely watched House races.
The Flint-area district is expected to be fiercely contested. Trump carried the district in the 2024 presidential election even as voters elected McDonald Rivet to Congress, making it one of the country’s key swing districts heading into the midterms.
Despite dropping out of the race last month, Smith wasted no time embracing the apparent victory.
“I am humbled and honored that Republicans have chosen me to take the fight to Kristen McDonald Rivet,” Smith said in a statement obtained by *The Detroit News*. He added that he looks forward to working with House Republicans and advancing Trump’s America First agenda.
The statement marks a notable reversal from July 16, when Smith announced in a Facebook video that he was ending his campaign and giving his “full support” to Lemmo.
Smith, a former General Motors employee turned entrepreneur, campaigns as a traditional conservative, emphasizing limited government, personal freedoms and stronger border security.
Hassan, meanwhile, highlighted his military and law enforcement background, including service in the Navy and work providing security at detention facilities in Guantanamo Bay. His campaign centered on his Christian faith, unwavering support for Israel and commitment to advancing Trump’s America First agenda.
In the end, none of it was enough to overcome a candidate who had already walked away from the race.
