Alabama's Senate runoff on Tuesday may provide a fresh glimpse into former President Trump's influence over GOP voters after he withdrew his endorsement of one candidate, Rep. Mo Brooks (R), and instead backed his rival, Katie Britt.
Why it matters: A string of losses among candidates endorsed by Trump in May has punctured perceptions of his dominance over the GOP for the first time in years, raising questions about the competition he could face in a 2024 Republican presidential primary.
Zoom in: Trump initially endorsed Rep. Mo Brooks (R-Ala.) in Alabama's Senate race — and then un-endorsed him — after the representative told a rally to stop disputing the 2020 election results and to "put that behind you."
- Trump instead endorsed Katie Britt, the former chief of staff to retiring Sen. Richard Shelby (R-Ala.), saying she "is an Incredible Fighter for the people of Alabama."
- Both candidates are vying to replace Shelby, who is retiring. Neither Brooks or Britt received more than 50% of the vote in Alabama's May primary
What to watch: Trump also faces a test in Georgia, where he has two remaining Congressional candidates competing in primary runoffs — former state Rep. Vernon Jones in the 10th district and Jake Evans in the 6th, Axios' Emma Hurt reports.
- Gov. Brian Kemp (R), one of Trump's top targets, took a rare step to endorse Jones' opponent, Mike Collins, last week.
The big picture: An Axios analysis of Trump's 173 endorsements found his record — while still positive overall — is far weaker when candidates running unopposed or in non-competitive races are filtered out.
- Seven candidates endorsed by Trump were defeated in GOP primaries last month, including four high-profile challengers in Georgia who were crushed by incumbents.
- Nine of his candidates in competitive races have lost so far, while 26 have won.
- Another 20 competitive races are still in progress.
Editor's note: This tracker will be updated throughout the primaries.
