Trump-Backed Candidates Sweep Primaries

Republican voters in Arizona, Michigan, and Kansas chose candidates endorsed by the former president.

Author

Editorial Team
August 03, 2022

Throughout five states, Republican voters aligned with former President Donald Trump’s endorsements in last Tuesday's primary elections. Here are some highlights:

Arizona

Blake Masters, Mark Finchem, and Kari Lake

  • Trump-backed Blake Masters won the GOP nomination for the Senate. He’s a venture capitalist and the co-author of the best-selling book Zero to One: Notes on Startups, or How to Build the Future.

  • Trump-backed Mark Finchem beat three other GOP candidates for the secretary of state. He attended the January 6 rally and fought for election integrity following the 2020 election.

  • Trump-backed Kari Lake holds a slight lead in the gubernatorial race. She was a local news journalist in Arizona.

Michigan

John Gibbs and Tudor Dixon

  • Trump-backed John Gibbs beat Rep. Peter Meijer, who voted to impeach Trump. Democrats boosted Gibbs’ campaign because they felt he was an easier opponent to beat in the general election.

  • Trump-backed Tudor Dixon, a conservative commentator, secured the GOP governor nomination.

Kansas

Derek Schmidt (right)

  • A proposed state constitutional amendment that would end the state’s protection for abortion failed by 18%. Some analysts view this as evidence that the abortion question will increase liberal voting more than expected.

  • Trump-backed Kansas Attorney General Derek Schmidt won the Republican nomination for governor.

Big picture: The new Republican party is in the making. Those aligned with Trump easily beat out incumbents who weren’t.