Our most recent book is titled Divided We Stand: The 2020 Elections and American Politics. Among other things, it discusses state and congressional elections.
Candidates who got the coveted Trump endorsement all won their races on Tuesday. And it was a good night for the national party committees, which have sought to get the former president on board with their preferred candidates.
In Nevada, [Sam] Brown — an Army veteran — coasted to the GOP nomination for Senate, besting Jeffrey Gunter, the former Iceland ambassador under Trump. Brown came up short in the state’s Republican Senate primary in 2022 but was endorsed by the National Republican Senatorial Committee this time, and — after a push from Chair Steve Daines (R-Mont.) — got the Trump endorsement in a Truth Social post after the former president’s Las Vegas rally on Sunday.
Gunter’s campaign never got much momentum, and the easy win means Brown comes out of the primary with few bruises and $2.5 million in his campaign account as of a few weeks ago. He will face Rosen in the general election.
In addition to Mace’s victory, another endangered South Carolina Republican who was endorsed by Trump eked out a win on Tuesday. Rep. William Timmons narrowly defeated a primary challenge from state Rep. Adam Morgan, who ran to his right. Timmons benefited from more than $1 million in ads from establishment-aligned groups and relied on Trump’s backing in the closing stretch of the campaign.
In Maine’s 2nd Congressional District, where Republicans are again seeking to knock off Golden, former NASCAR driver-turned-state Rep. Austin Theriault cruised to victory over fellow state Rep. Mike Soboleski. Theriault was endorsed by both Trump and Speaker Mike Johnson. He will face Golden in a district that Trump won handily in 2020, but where Republicans have struggled to mount a close congressional campaign.
