Senate candidates endorsed by former President Donald Trump are largely faring well in their races, with most projected to prevail on election night, according to a new analysis by Newsweek released Friday.
The former president has thrown his support behind 22 candidates, with “more than 60 percent” expected to win their races on Nov. 8, the publication’s breakdown read.
Incumbents, including Sens. Chuck Grassley (R-IA), Marco Rubio (R-FL), Jerry Moran (R-KS), Rand Paul (R-KY), Mike Crapo (R-ID), Tim Scott (R-SC), Mike Lee (R-UT), James Lankford (R-OK), John Boozman (R-AR), John Hoeven (R-ND), and John Kennedy (R-LA), are expected to remain safe as they fight to retain their seats.
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While the incumbents backed by Trump mostly have a comfortable lead over their Democratic challengers, some of his endorsees remain in heated battles to retain or unseat Democrats in key swing states.
Polling has shown Sen. Ron Johnson (R-WI) with an edge over Lt. Gov. Mandela Barnes (D-WI) in Wisconsin. Georgia GOP nominee Herschel Walker, who has faced a number of controversies, is neck-and-neck with Sen. Raphael Warnock (D-GA). Nevada GOP Senate nominee Adam Laxalt has closed the gap in his race against Sen. Catherine Cortez Masto (D-NV). Pennsylvania GOP candidate Dr. Mehmet Oz has taken a slight lead over Democratic Lt. Gov. John Fetterman, who is recovering from a stroke, following a recent debate. Arizona GOP hopeful Blake Masters is within the margin of error in his race against Sen. Mark Kelly (D-AZ). And Ohio GOP Senate nominee J.D. Vance is now leading Rep. Tim Ryan (D-OH) by a small margin in the battleground state.
Rep. Ted Budd (R-NC), a Trump-backed candidate who was not mentioned in the Newsweek analysis, has also widened his lead over Democrat Cheri Beasley.
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Now just two of Trump’s picks to serve in the upper chamber are expected to lose by significant margins, with Kelly Tshibaka (R-AK) trailing Trump critic Sen. Lisa Murkowski (R-AK) in Alaska, a state that uses a ranked choice voting system, and Connecticut GOP nominee Leora Levy significantly trailing Sen. Richard Blumenthal (D-CT).
Despite Senate candidates backed by Trump mostly prevailing in their primaries and being expected to fare well on Election Day, the former president was less successful with his primary picks in the House, where six of his 27 endorsements lost. Some within the GOP voiced concerns over Trump’s involvement in the primaries, with critics of him taking aim at incumbents who backed impeachment fearing that it will be more difficult for far-right candidates to win swing and Democratic-leaning districts as a result.
