Until Tuesday, U.S. President Donald Trump was riding a near-perfect record of endorsements, with wins in Indiana, Louisiana and Texas. But that ended with the defeat of U.S. Representative Randy Feenstra in the Republican primary for Iowa governor.
Nonetheless, the Trump-backed candidate for governor in California appears to be on track to compete in the November election after a night that saw bright spots for Democrats as well.
Here are five takeaways from Tuesday’s primary elections:
TRUMP SPUTTERS IN IOWA
Feenstra was considered the frontrunner in the Republican primary to replace retiring Republican Governor Kim Reynolds. Having won three U.S. House terms, Feenstra sought the governorship with Trump’s endorsement.
Trump sailed to victory in the 2024 presidential race, winning Iowa by a 13-point margin over Democratic presidential nominee Kamala Harris.
Trump’s muscle had appeared to be growing after he helped topple Republican senators Bill Cassidy of Louisiana and John Cornyn of Texas in primary battles.
But with the public unhappy about the war with Iran and Iowa’s agricultural sector hurting from high prices of fuel and fertilizer, Feenstra narrowly lost the Republican primary to businessman-farmer Zach Lahn, who had never run for public office.
FURTHER REPUBLICAN CRACKS IN IOWA?
Democrats think they have a strong chance of grabbing a U.S. Senate seat from Republicans now that Josh Turek, a state legislator and Paralympic gold medalist, defeated progressive Zach Wahls in Tuesday’s primary.
With Republican Senator Joni Ernst retiring, Turek will face U.S. Representative Ashley Hinson, also a Republican.
The race was considered a likely win for Republicans, but with Turek’s win, some analysts see it as shifting toward the Democrats. The Cook Political Report now calls Iowa “the center of the political universe,” and moved it from “likely Republican” to “lean Republican.”
A GOOD NIGHT FOR DEMOCRATS
Democrat Xavier Becerra appeared headed to become his party’s nominee for California governor, replacing term-limited Gavin Newsom.
Republican Steve Hilton, a television commentator backed by Trump, surprised many with a strong showing that could pit him against Becerra in this heavily Democratic state.
