Donald Trump had a brutal night in the Republican primaries Tuesday, with three of his endorsed candidates going down in Florida and Wyoming, another sign that his once-tight grip on the GOP may be starting to slip.
Trump’s endorsement can still make or break a Republican campaign. But Tuesday’s results offered a blunt reminder that Trump’s backing isn’t enough to guarantee a win, especially as his approval numbers continue to sag.
The biggest blow came in Florida, where embattled Rep. Cory Mills lost his bid for renomination to former TV reporter Ryan Elijah, who was on track to win by double digits.
Mills has been one of Trump’s strongest supporters in Congress since he was first elected in 2022. But his political problems have been piling up.
The House Ethics Committee has spent months investigating allegations involving dating violence and campaign finance violations, allegations Mills denies. He has not been arrested or charged with a crime, but an ex-girlfriend obtained a restraining order against him last fall over allegations of harassment.
The controversy became so serious that even some Republicans called for Mills to resign or be expelled from Congress.
Florida Reps. Anna Paulina Luna and Mike Haridopolos both endorsed Elijah earlier this month.
Trump continued to stand behind Mills, but the president notably left him out of a series of Truth Social posts shortly before the primary in which he promoted several of his endorsed candidates.
Then came another Trump-backed defeat in Florida.
Former Commerce Department adviser Catalina Lauf lost the Republican primary to replace Rep. Byron Donalds, who is leaving Congress to run for governor.
Donalds, who had Trump’s endorsement, easily won his own Republican primary and is now the heavy favorite to become Florida’s next governor.
Trump backed Lauf in the crowded congressional race, but his endorsement came late—just last week.
Lauf had previously run for Congress in Illinois. The field also included former Reps. Madison Cawthorn of North Carolina and Chris Collins of New York.
But conservative talk-radio founder Jim Schwartzel emerged victorious, leading Lauf by more than seven points.
Then Wyoming delivered the third blow.
State Sen. Eric Barlow easily defeated Trump’s endorsed candidate, Wyoming Superintendent of Public Instruction Megan Degenfelder, as well as 2022 gubernatorial candidate Brent Bien.
Barlow won the crowded Republican primary by double digits and is now the overwhelming favorite to succeed term-limited Gov. Mark Gordon in November.
And his message was notably different from the hard-right politics that have dominated many Republican primaries in the Trump era.
Barlow campaigned on “respectful, effective leadership,” a message that closely resembles Gordon’s more pragmatic approach to governing.
Gordon, a somewhat more moderate Republican who has repeatedly rejected intense partisan warfare, did not endorse a successor in the primary.
Degenfelder and Bien, meanwhile, ran farther to the right.
Three losses in one night are still unusual for Trump. His endorsements remain enormously influential in the Republican party.
But the defeats are beginning to add up.
Earlier this month, controversial Rep. Andy Ogles of Tennessee lost his primary. In South Carolina, Lt. Gov. Pamela Evette was defeated in the Republican gubernatorial primary earlier this year.
Trump initially endorsed Evette before switching his support to state Attorney General Alan Wilson ahead of the runoff. Wilson went on to win easily.
Now Trump’s influence faces another test next week in South Carolina.
Sen. Darline Graham is facing Rep. Ralph Norman in a Republican runoff for the chance to succeed her late brother, Sen. Lindsey Graham, for a full term.
