Republican candidates orphaned by Trump scramble for redemption in the primaries
by Seth McLaughlin · The Washington TimesPresident Trump’s grip on Republican primaries is so strong that even candidates he hasn’t endorsed are working overtime to show they’re aligned with the party’s dominant figure.
Sens. Bill Cassidy of Louisiana and John Cornyn of Texas have leaned heavily into their pro‑Trump credentials. Yet with their primaries just days away, Mr. Cornyn is still waiting for an endorsement, while Mr. Cassidy is staring down a Trump‑backed challenger.
Kentucky is seeing a similar dynamic.
Rep. Thomas Massie has been touting his support for the Trump agenda, but he’s fighting for his political life against a Trump‑endorsed opponent — payback for the times he broke with the president.
All of it points to a simple reality: despite the Trump‑led GOP’s struggles in the 2025 off‑year elections, the 79‑year‑old soon-to-be lame duck president — who has spent the last decade reshaping the party — remains king of the GOP jungle.
“President Trump’s endorsement isn’t just the most powerful endorsement in politics today; his endorsement is the most powerful in political history,” said Andy Surabian, Republican strategist and close adviser to Vice President J.D. Vance. “I don’t think we’ve ever seen anything like it from anyone in either party prior to him.”
“A simple Truth from the president can rewire entire elections to the point where GOP primaries have largely become races to get Trump’s stamp of approval, first and foremost,” Mr. Surabian added.
That has created headwinds for Mr. Massie, Mr. Cornyn, and Mr. Cassidy, who are struggling to atone for the times they ignored Mr. Trump’s wishes – opening the door for their primary rivals eager to pledge full fealty.
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It’s still an open question whether the Trump brand can help the GOP in this fall’s midterms, when a broader electorate will decide control of Congress for Mr. Trump’s final two years in office.
For now, it is all about the primaries.
Mr. Trump showcased his dominance in recent intraparty battles in Ohio and especially Indiana, where he targeted seven Republican state senators who rejected his push to redraw the state’s congressional map to help the GOP defend its slim House majority this fall. His preferred candidates won five of those races, with one still too close to call.
The next stop on the Trump revenge tour is Saturday in Louisiana.
Mr. Cassidy, one of the three remaining Senate Republicans who voted to convict Mr. Trump after the Jan. 6 riot at the Capitol, is running for a third term.
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Since the start of the campaign has tried to mend fences with Trump supporters. Indeed, his first reelection ad highlighted his work on fentanyl legislation, telling viewers: “President Trump said it was the most important legislation he would sign this year.” The ad includes a photo of him standing behind Mr. Trump at the Oval Office signing ceremony.
Mr. Trump, however, is backing Rep. Julia Letlow in a race that also includes Louisiana Treasurer John Fleming, a former congressman and White House deputy chief of staff.
To avoid a June 27 party runoff and win the nomination outright, a candidate needs to win the majority of the vote, and polls suggest Mr. Cassidy could finish third.
“If you have a big glaring asterisk on your record, with the obvious one being the impeachment vote, you better do some, you know, atonement with President Trump before you could hope to get his absolution,” said John Couvillon, a Louisiana‑based pollster working for the Fleming campaign. “Being a long‑time incumbent is one thing, but combine that with a bad impeachment vote, and it’s even worse.”
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Cassidy campaign manager Katie Larkin said her boss “is endorsed by the top pro-life organization in America and has successfully delivered for Louisiana in conjunction with the president again and again.”
Three days after the Louisiana primary, voters in Kentucky’s 4th Congressional District will decide the fate of Mr. Massie, the libertarian‑leaning Republican who has represented the area since 2012. He clashed with Mr. Trump when he championed releasing the Epstein files, opposed foreign aid — including to Israel — and voted against the One Big Beautiful Bill Act because it would add more debt for future generations.
Mr. Trump is supporting Ed Gallrein, a retired Navy SEAL who has pledged his fealty to the president.
Mr. Massie is leaning into his independent streak, but he’s also running ads reminding voters that he supports Mr. Trump and his MAGA agenda.
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“Let’s talk about the elephant in the room, I agree with President Trump a whole lot more than I disagree with him,” he says in a recent ad. “President Trump and I have a whole lot more to get done – together.”
From there, the focus will shift to the May 26 runoff in Texas between Sen. John Cornyn and Attorney General Ken Paxton.
Mr. Cornyn has angled hard for a Trump endorsement, running ads touting his loyalty to the president and even backing off his decades‑long opposition to scrapping the legislative filibuster to pass Mr. Trump’s agenda.
His campaign has faced nonstop questions about why Mr. Trump has stayed on the sidelines.
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Asked how challenging it has been for Mr. Cornyn to convince voters he has Mr. Trump’s back when the president has refused to endorse him, senior adviser Matt Mackowiak replied, “Decline.”
Mr. Trump’s shadow hangs over the coming primaries.
He endorsed Rep. Barry Moore in the 2026 Alabama Republican U.S. Senate primary.
In Georgia, he is backing Burt Jones in the governor’s race, but has stayed on the sidelines in the U.S. Senate contest, where the candidates are vying for the Trump mantle.
And in Kentucky, he did a double solid for Rep. Andy Barr in the race to replace retiring Sen. Mitch McConnell, who served for years as one of Mr. Trump’s preferred punching bags.
Mr. Trump endorsed Mr. Barr and convinced the other GOP candidates, Nate Morris, to leave the race to accept a soon-to-be announced ambassadorship. Former Attorney General Daniel Cameron, often billed as a McConnell protege, is also running.
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Seth McLaughlin
smclaughlin@washingtontimes.com
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