Former President Donald Trump was dealt yet another string of defeats in primary elections on Tuesday, and it may be yet more evidence that his sway in the party may be waning.
Politico reports that many Republicans on Trump's hitlist easily survived primary challenges against candidates who criticized them for committing an array of sins against the twice-impeached former president, including voting in favor of certifying the 2020 election results and voting in favor of creating an independent commission to investigate the January 6th Capitol riots.
"In Iowa, Rep. Mariannette Miller-Meeks ran unopposed," the publication writes. "In South Dakota, Rep. Dusty Johnson drubbed his hard-line challenger, Taffy Howard. And in New Jersey, where Trump once sought to encourage a primary challenge to Rep. Chris Smith, the veteran incumbent beat back a challenge from Mike Crispi, a Republican podcast host backed by Roger Stone."
And Sen. John Thune, R-S.D., who in December 2020 warned Trump that his attempts to overturn the election would "go down like a shot dog," easily beat a number of hardline challengers.
One South Dakota Republican tells Politico that Thune's record in the state and his connection with conservative voters matters a lot more than "the bloviating from Florida."
All of this led GOP consultant Bob Heckman to question Trump's clout in the party.
"Before, it was perceived to be a done deal that Trump could kill you, and now it's not so clear," he said.
