May 17, 2022, 3:10 p.m. ETMay 17, 2022, 3:10 p.m. ET
Azi Paybarah
J.D. Vance won his competitive Republican primary for an Ohio Senate seat with the help of Mr. Trump’s endorsement.
Most of the candidates former President Donald J. Trump endorsed in contested Republican primaries in three states have won, in this early phase of the 2022 midterms. Many of the candidates he backed were running unopposed or faced little-known, poorly funded opponents.
Here is a look at Mr. Trump’s endorsement record from closely watched races in Ohio, Nebraska and West Virginia.
Victories in Ohio
The Senate candidate J.D. Vance won his hard-fought primary over a field of well-funded candidates, nearly all of whom pitched themselves as Trump-like Republicans. Mr. Vance, an author and venture capitalist, had transformed himself from a self-described “never Trump guy” in 2016 to an “America First” candidate in 2022. His long-shot campaign financially benefited from heavy spending by his former boss Peter Thiel, a billionaire founder of PayPal.
Max Miller, a former Trump aide who denied assault allegations from an ex-girlfriend and was later endorsed by Mr. Trump, won his House primary after two other Republican incumbents there opted not to run. Representative Anthony Gonzalez, who had voted to impeach Mr. Trump, retired after just two terms. Representative Bob Gibbs, a Trump supporter, dropped out after his district was redrawn late in the campaign, pitting him against Mr. Miller.
Mr. Trump also endorsed Madison Gesiotto Gilbert, a lawyer and former beauty queen who had been a surrogate for his presidential campaign. She won a seven-way primary for an open congressional seat being vacated by Representative Tim Ryan, a Democrat running for Senate.
ImageRepresentative Alex Mooney of West Virginia, right, with Representative Kevin McCarthy of California, the House minority leader. Mr. Mooney prevailed in his primary over Representative David McKinley.Credit…Stefani Reynolds for The New York Times
A win in West Virginia
In an incumbent-on-incumbent House primary, Representative Alex Mooney prevailed over Representative David McKinley in a newly drawn congressional district that largely overlaps with the one Mr. McKinley represented for more than a decade.
Mr. Trump’s endorsement was seen as the decisive factor in the race, in which Mr. Mooney attacked Mr. McKinley for supporting President Biden’s infrastructure spending agenda, and for voting to create the committee investigating the Jan. 6 attack on the Capitol by supporters of Mr. Trump.
ImageCharles W. Herbster, a longtime financial supporter of Mr. Trump, lost his Republican primary for governor in Nebraska despite Mr. Trump’s endorsement.Credit…Walker Pickering for The New York Times
A loss in Nebraska
Charles W. Herbster, a wealthy agribusiness executive, lost his three-way primary to Jim Pillen, a University of Nebraska regent who was supported by Gov. Pete Ricketts, who had long clashed with Trump and is term-limited.
Mr. Herbster had yoked his identity to Mr. Trump’s, styling himself as a brash political outsider taking on the “swamp” of Lincoln, the state’s capital. Mr. Trump endorsed Mr. Herbster, a longtime financial supporter, last year. Late in the campaign, Mr. Herbster was accused of groping several women. Mr. Herbster denied the accusations, saying they were orchestrated by his political rivals. Mr. Trump then held a rally for him.
Source: nytimes.com
