© Reuters. Herschel Walker, who is facing Democratic U.S. Senator Raphael Warnock in the runoff election, speaks at a campaign rally in Kennesaw, Georgia, US, December 5, 2022. REUTERS/Alyssa Pointer
WASHINGTON (Reuters) – Former President Donald Trump had a solid record in the US midterms, pushing the Republican Party to the right in presidential contests, but picking losers in general elections, which resulted in his party losing control of the Senate. .
Trump, who launched a new race for the White House last month, endorsed more than 200 candidates during the election, though most were Republicans running in races that were easily won by the party.
In 12 highly contested nominations, including several that began with major challenges for incumbent Republicans, four won the election but five lost, including Herschel Walker, who on Tuesday lost his bid in Georgia for a seat in the US Senate. Three others lost their primaries.
Here’s a look at Trump’s resume:
ALL
Herschel Walker
* Lost to Democratic US Senator Raphael Warnock in the Georgia race
A retired footballer who has never been in elected office, Walker forced Warnock’s sacking after winning the majority of votes in their Nov. 8. But on Tuesday, Walker didn’t do well in Georgia’s big state. An anti-abortion activist, Walker was outraged by reports that he had paid several former girlfriends to have abortions. He denied all the accusations against him.
Mehmet Oz
* A losing race for a US Senate seat in Pennsylvania held by a retired Republican senator
Trump’s endorsement of the famous doctor divided Republican leaders in Pennsylvania. Oz was defeated by Democratic Lieutenant Governor John Fetterman in a close race, after facing charges of carpetbagging as a longtime New Jersey resident. Oz just beat former hedge fund executive David McCormick (NYSE: ) in the Republican Party nomination race.
Joe Kent
* He suffered a surprise defeat in the Republican government
While Washington’s third congressional district was seen before the election as leaning Republican, Kent narrowly lost to Democrat Marie Gluesenkamp Perez after she was criticized for her connections to the right. Kent, a former special forces officer, campaigned with US Representative Matt Gaetz of Florida and told Oregon Public Broadcasting that he had a phone call with white man Nicholas Fuentes, although he said he did not agree with Fuentes’ “ethno-nationalism”.
Kent narrowly won the August 2 Republican primary over US representative Jaime Herrera Beutler, who voted to impeach Trump last year.
John Gibbs
* He lost his bid for Michigan’s third congressional district
Gibbs lost by a clear margin to Democrat Hillary Scholten in what was expected to be a close race. A former House Speaker under Trump who had a history of scathing tweets, including baseless claims about Democrats and Satan, Gibbs defeated U.S. Representative Peter Meijer in the primary after the Democratic Party’s massive destruction of television ads touting the endorsement of Trump. Meijer, one of the few Republicans who voted to unseat Trump last year, criticized the ad as a way to help his “right-wing opponent” get out the vote and help Democrats win the midterms in November.
Kelly Tshibaka
* Failed to defeat Republican US Senator Lisa Murkowski of Alaska
Trump supported Tshibaka, a former Alaska state commissioner, to remove Murkowski, one of seven Republican senators who voted to impeach Trump in 2021 on impeachment charges. Both Murkowski and Tshibaka won the August primary with Democrat Pat Chesbro, but Murkowski won the election, which featured a new voting system that takes into account voter preferences. Neither Murkowski nor Tshibaka got more than 50% of the vote, but Murkowski got 54% of the vote after Chesbro was removed, the majority of his votes went to Murkowski.
GOOD
JD Vance
* Won the US Senate seat in Ohio vacated by a retiring Republican senator
Vance is best known as the author of the best-selling “Hillbilly Elegy,” which chronicled the decline of factory towns in states like Ohio into poverty and drug addiction. During the Senate race, he abandoned his reputation as an opponent of Trump and positioned himself as the most angry person in Trump’s style, winning the endorsement of the former president. In the midterm race, he defeated Democratic US Representative Tim Ryan.
Ted Budd
* Won the US Senate seat in North Carolina vacated by a retired Republican senator
Budd defeated Democrat Cheri Beasley in the Senate race. A ranking member of the House of Representatives, Budd had little name in the state before seeking the Republican nomination. Following Trump’s endorsement, he swept the polls and easily defeated former North Carolina Governor Pat McCrory in the May 17 primary.
Harriet Hageman
* The main area of the Won Wyoming conference
Trump supported Hageman, a lawyer, in September 2021, looking to punish Republican U.S. Representative Liz Cheney, who was ousted as Republican No. 1. January 6, 2021, riots at the Capitol. Cheney, the daughter of US Vice President Dick Cheney, also served as vice chairman of the House committee investigating the Capitol attack. Hageman easily won the Nov. 8 to represent Wyoming, which is heavily Republican.
Russell Fry
* He won South Carolina’s 7th district, which is strongly Republican
Fry, a state representative, won Trump’s endorsement after U.S. Representative Tom Rice joined Democrats and a minority of Republicans in voting to impeach the former president for launching death threats at the Capitol. Fry defeated Rice in the June 14 Republican primary, telling supporters afterward that he would work hard to make Trump proud. On Nov. 8, easily defeated Democratic challenger Daryl Scott.
LOST IN THE PRIMARIES
Loren Culp
* Lost to Republican US Representative Dan Newhouse
Former small-town police chief Loren Culp won Trump’s endorsement to replace Newhouse, who angered Trump by voting to impeach him last year. But Newhouse advanced in August’s Republican primary, with Culp blaming his loss on a group of Republicans who were also pro-Trump. Newhouse won the election easily.
David Perdue
* He ran against Georgia’s Republican Governor Brian Kemp
Despite Trump’s endorsement, former U.S. Senator David Perdue did not play down the upset of Georgia’s Republican Governor Brian Kemp in the party’s primary race. Kemp, who angered Trump by denying the former president’s false allegations of fraud in the 2020 presidential campaign, won his primary against Democrat Stacey Abrams.
Kate Arrington
* US Republican opposition candidate Nancy Mace
Arrington, a former South Carolina lawmaker, won Trump’s endorsement after Mace publicly criticized Trump for his actions in an attack on his supporters at the Capitol. Mace, who voted against Trump’s impeachment, defeated Arrington in the Republican nomination race and easily defeated Democratic challenger Annie Andrews.
