Former President Donald Trump had endorsed more than 300 Republicans across all forms of government before the November 8 midterm elections this year. This included a number of House, Senate as well as gubernatorial candidates.
However, not all of them benefited from being supported by the former leader.
Trump, who is yet to confirm a 2024 run for the presidency, has often boasted about his apparent knack for choosing eventual winners, owing to his success in the GOP primaries. In a number of key Senate races, Trump endorsed previously untested political newcomers this year well as candidates in gubernatorial races who were willing to run with his far-right views including his falsehoods about the elections being rigged.
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A day prior to Election Day, Trump had made it clear in an interview that he should “get all the credit” if his chosen candidates win but “not be blamed at all” if they lose.
“When they win, I think they’re going to do very well, I’ll probably be given very little credit, even though in many cases, I tell people to run, they ran and they turned out to be very good candidates,” Trump said. “But usually what would happen is, when they do well, I won’t be given any credit. And if they do badly, they will blame everything on me. So I’m prepared for anything, but we’ll defend ourselves.”
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As the results of the midterms came in on Wednesday morning, it was seen that several Trump-endorsed candidates lost their races. The GOP’s so-called “red wave” has been reduced to nothing more than a trickle.
Here are 5 candidates endorsed by Trump who lost their coveted races:
Dr. Mehmet Oz
Republican Dr. Mehmet Oz was defeated in Pennsylvania’s Senate race by Democratic Lt. Gov. John Fetterman, who had suffered a stroke during the campaign trail and then recovered to battle it out.
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Tim Michels
Democratic Gov. Tony Evers won reelection to a second term in Wisconsin’s gubernatorial race, after defeating Republican challenger Tim Michels, a construction executive who emerged from a contentious GOP primary.
Lee Zeldin
Republican Rep. Lee Zeldin was defeated by Democratic Gov. Kathy Hochul, who won the election in New York, making history as the first woman voters have chosen for the state’s highest office.
Also read | Republican ‘red wave’ hopes hit Blue wall of resilience
Doug Mastriano
Democratic Attorney General Josh Shapiro defeated MAGA-aligned state Senator Doug Mastriano in the Pennsylvania governorship race.
Tudor Dixon
Michigan’s Democratic Gov. Gretchen Whitmer won a second term after defeating Republican challenger Tudor Dixon.