Republican candidates across the country may hope to get former President Donald Trump’s seal of approval, but when the polls close today in an Ohio primary, his reputation as campaign booster will be put to the test.
Trump has been branded a “kingmaker” for the Republican party since before he was even elected in 2016, according to a Wall Street Journal opinion piece. Last summer FiveThirtyEight reported that Trump’s endorsements did lead to an impressive number of election victories, and that his strategy of picking candidates already positioned works in his favor in addition to political influence.
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Around 120 Trump-endorsed candidates in two 2020 congressional primaries, Ballotpedia tallies indicate.
For the the Ohio 15th district primary held Tuesday Trump backed Mike Carey, a coal industry consultant and former lobbyist, according to Bloomberg.
Carey is one of 11 candidates vying to appear on the Republican ticket for House Rep.
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Former Rep. Steve Stivers, also a Republican, resigned in May to lead the Ohio Chamber of Commerce. Stivers has also endorsed a candidate, Ohio State Rep. Jeff LaRe. Kentucky Sen. Rand Paul endorsed another challenger, State Rep. Ron Hood and other candidates have scored significant endorsements.
In addition to Trump, other Republicans such as Corey Lewandowski have supported Carey.
Even with these high-profile endorsements, Bloomberg said turnout for the election is expected to be low. More than $2.6 million has been spent in television and radio advertising alone for the primary.
When the November general election comes along, the Republican-leaning district – which stretches over 12 counties from the suburbs of Columbus to rural Appalachia – is expected to vote for the winner of this primary. Democratic primary nominees include retired Army General Greg Betts and State Rep. Allison Russo, said Bloomberg.
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Since Trump lost much of his ability to campaign on social media following a Twitter suspension, he has had to find different ways to rally supporters, said the outlet. One method is tele-rallies such as one held July 20 for Carey’s campaign.
Earlier this year, Trump-backed candidate Susan Wright (who was running to replace her husband Ron Wright as a Texas representative) lost in a runoff election to Jake Ellzey, a Republican state representative.
According to Bloomberg, that race was not as much of a Bellwether as the Ohio 15th district primary. Mark Waver, a Republican consultant in Ohio, said a Carey loss would be an indication that Trump’s support is less powerful than some believe it is.
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Stivers doesn’t think that his endorsement, Trump’s or any other will really decide the election, though he acknowledged Trump’s impact. Carey said his support jumped from 20 to 52 percent when Trump announced his endorsement.
“I just got to win it. I don’t want to let him down,” said Carey.