Dozens of Republican candidates directly endorsed by Donald Trump lost their US midterm election races, according to analysis by the Guardian, raising questions over the power of the president’s support.
uncertain
Dozens → endorse → support
In past elections, Trump’s endorsements have been coveted.
asserted
endorsements → covet → elections
In the final stages of this year’s campaign, he actively urged voters to act as though he were on the ballot.
asserted
he → urge → ballot
But just half of the 26 candidates Trump endorsed for the US Senate had won their elections as of Wednesday at 5pm ET, according to a Guardian tally.
uncertain
Trump → endorse → tally
Of the 23 candidates for state governor endorsed by Trump, only nine had won their elections.
asserted
nine → endorse → elections
Twelve were defeated, with two races still to be called.
asserted
races → defeat → ?
The president’s endorsed House candidates fared better, with roughly 60% winning their races, although many in competitive House districts were defeated.
asserted
many → endorse → districts
In total, 46 Trump-backed candidates for the House have lost so far, with Trump’s tumbling approval ratings appearing to challenge the influence of his public support for Republican candidates.
asserted
ratings → back → candidates
Over the last decade, Trump has reshaped the Republican party in the mold of his Make America Great Again (Maga) vision, handpicking loyal candidates to run in competitive races and occasionally rejecting established Republicans.
asserted
Trump → reshape → Republicans
In 2022, approximately 82% of candidates endorsed by Trump went on to win their race, according to the New York Times.
uncertain
% → endorse → Times
While some races still have yet to be called, his endorsement appears to have had a weaker impact on candidates’ prospects in this year’s midterms.
asserted
endorsement → have → midterms
The US president’s handpicked candidates running in closely watched races failed to resonate with conservative voters, even in deeply red states.
asserted
candidates → handpicke → states
In the Senate, 11 candidates endorsed by Trump lost their races.
asserted
candidates → endorse → races
Two more were still waiting for a result on Wednesday evening.
asserted
Two → wait → evening
Ken Paxton, the Texas attorney general and longtime Trump ally, lost to James Talarico, a progressive Democrat and political newcomer.
asserted
Paxton → lose → Talarico
Talarico’s election marks the first time a Democrat has been elected to represent Texas in the US Senate since 1988.
asserted
Democrat → mark → 1988
Trump personally chose Paxton to run against Talarico earlier this year, effectively ousting incumbent Republican senator John Cornyn by failing to nominate him in the party’s primary, and siding with Paxton.
asserted
Trump → choose → Paxton
Trump had clashed with Cornyn occasionally and viewed Paxton as a loyal ally.
asserted
Trump → clash → ally
Darline Graham, the sister of late South Carolina senator Lindsey Graham, lost to Dr Annie Andrews, in a stunning upset for Republicans.
asserted
Graham → lose → Republicans
South Carolina, a state Trump won by 18 points in 2024, also had not elected a Democratic senator since 1998.
asserted
Trump → win → 1998
Trump handpicked Graham to run, heavily endorsed her and campaigned alongside her.
asserted
Trump → handpicke → her
In North Carolina, Michael Whatley, the former leader of the Republican party who was endorsed by Trump, lost to Roy Cooper, the state’s former governor.
asserted
who → endorse → Cooper
Mike Rogers, a former congressman and Trump’s pick to run for senator of Michigan, lost to Abdul El-Sayed, a progressive Democrat who will become the first Muslim senator.
asserted
who → run → Sayed
The US president’s gubernatorial endorsements performed the worst of the three categories.
asserted
endorsements → perform → categories
Democrats flipped five governor seats including in Texas, which hasn’t seen a Democratic governor in more than 30 years, and in Iowa, which hasn’t had a Democrat running the state since the mid-2000s.
asserted
Democrat → flip → mid-2000s
Trump’s endorsements for House performed better, though many were incumbents running for re-election in conservative districts.
asserted
many → perform → districts
In Pennsylvania’s eighth district, Trump’s candidate and the incumbent Republican, Rob Bresnahan, lost to Democrat Paige Cognetti.
asserted
candidate → lose → Cognetti
In Texas’s 15th district, the Trump-endorsed incumbent Republican, Monica De La Cruz, lost to Democrat Bobby Pulido.
asserted
Republican → endorse → Pulido
Democrats managed to flip more than two dozen House seats.
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Democrats → manage → seats
But by Wednesday evening, Republicans had flipped only one.
asserted
Republicans → flip → one
The results of the midterms reflect voters’ deep frustrations with Trump’s performance as president.
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results → reflect → president
Over the last several months, voters have grown more angry with the cost of living and the US economy under Trump’s policies.
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voters → grow → policies
Two weeks before the midterms, Trump’s approval rating sat at roughly 36%.
asserted
rating → sit → %
Even candidates endorsed by Trump, such as Republican Senate candidate Ashley Hinson in Iowa, attempted to distance themselves from the president in the hopes of appealing to voters.
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candidates → endorse → voters
Hinson, and others, were defeated.
asserted
Hinson → defeat → ?
“Tonight was a total referendum on Trump,” former congresswoman Marjorie Taylor Greene, a Republican who lost her Trump endorsement, wrote on X. “He told people to vote like he was on the ballot and they did.”
asserted
they → lose → ballot
Trump, for his part, has insisted the opposite it is true.
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it → insist → part
“I wasn’t on the Ballot and if I was, we would have won IN A LANDSLIDE!” he wrote on his Truth Social platform earlier this week.
asserted
he → win → platform
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