A Vance victory would remind his party that Trump is still king. But the acclaim will be fleeting.
The rest of May looks nowhere near as good for the former president, who has expended his political capital in a series of contests that are already laying bare the limits of his post-presidential influence on the GOP.
In a four-week stretch of primaries running from Nebraska and West Virginia to Idaho, Pennsylvania and Georgia, Trump-endorsed candidates are slogging through difficult races where the former president’s blessing hasn’t proved to be the rocket fuel some expected. In a few cases, his preferred candidates are running far behind…
Even before polls close, the tightness of races Trump is engaged in is indicative of his limitations: His endorsements have not cleared primary fields. In both Ohio and Pennsylvania, opponents of Trump’s endorsed candidates are so comfortable crossing Trump that they are airing TV ads openly questioning Trump’s judgment in his endorsements.
“Trump made a mistake on this one,” says a character in one of the spots.
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