One GOP strategist also noted that there are scant examples of Republicans winning a primary by being vocally anti-Trump. And Trump’s preferred candidate in the secretary of state race, election denier Mark Finchem, won his primary. Kari Lake, Trump’s pick in the gubernatorial primary there, held a narrow lead as of late Wednesday and appeared poised to hold off Karrin Taylor Robson, who was endorsed by former Vice President Mike Pence and Arizona Gov. Then last month, a New York Times poll showed Republican voters were split on the idea of Trump running again in 2024.īut Tuesday’s primaries were overall a success for Trump.īlake Masters prevailed in the Arizona Republican Senate primary with Trump’s backing. Trump also had a fairly weak showing in Georgia’s primaries and subsequent runoffs, with multiple endorsed candidates losing. 6, 2021, riot at the Capitol that revealed new details about Trump’s inaction amid the violence and his refusal to condemn his supporters. Questions swirled in recent weeks about Trump’s hold on the Republican Party, driven largely by compelling hearings held by the House committee investigating the Jan. “I do think it should put to rest this idea that I think certain people in the party were wishcasting that Trump was losing influence when very clearly he hasn’t been,” said Andy Surabian, a GOP strategist and former Trump White House official. Overall, the results show that Trump is still a powerful force within the GOP, even as questions about his viability as a presidential candidate in 2024 linger.