On Tuesday, Rep. Renee Ellmers (R-N.C.) became the first Republican ousted in a primary this election, losing to former Rep. George Holding (R-N.C.) in a fight prompted by redrawn congressional districts. Ellmers was elected in the Tea Party wave of 2010, backed by the conservative group Americans for Prosperity, but AFP and the Club for Growth spent millions to defeat her this year. With almost all the votes counted in Tuesday's primary, Holding had 53 percent of the vote in a three-way race, and Ellmers was just 200 votes ahead of the third candidate, Greg Brannon.
Ellmers did have one prominent endorser, though: Donald Trump. Trump publicly backed Ellmers on Saturday, his first congressional primary endorsement. She probably would have lost anyway, but "Trump is now 0 for 1 for congressional endorsements," notes Amber Phillips at The Washington Post. "For a candidate who has often shown he lacks certain political savviness," she adds, "lending his name to a losing candidate was an unforced error, to say the least."
Subscribe to The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.
Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
-
6 sun-drenched homes by the seaFeature Featuring a large patio overlooking the ocean in Laguna Beach and a marble rainfall shower in Norwalk
-
Is China winning the AI race?Today's Big Question Or is it playing a different game than the US?
-
5 refreshing podcasts you may have missed this springThe Week Recommends Exploring the cultural impact of Jerry Springer, a look at contemporary spending habits and more
-
Trump hits Africa, Middle East with new travel banSpeed Read The travel ban bars visitors from 12 countries and restricts entry from seven
-
Elon Musk slams Trump's 'pork-filled' signature billspeed read 'Shame on those who voted for it: you know you did wrong,' Musk posted on X
-
Depleted FEMA struggling as hurricane season beginsspeed read FEMA has lost a third of its workforce amid DOGE cuts enforced by President Donald Trump
-
White House tackles fake citations in MAHA reportspeed read A federal government public health report spearheaded by Robert F. Kennedy Jr. was rife with false citations
-
Judge blocks push to bar Harvard foreign studentsspeed read Judge Allison Burroughs sided with Harvard against the Trump administration's attempt to block the admittance of international students
-
Trump's trade war whipsawed by court rulingsSpeed Read A series of court rulings over Trump's tariffs renders the future of US trade policy uncertain
-
Elon Musk departs Trump administrationspeed read The former DOGE head says he is ending his government work to spend more time on his companies
-
Trump taps ex-personal lawyer for appeals courtspeed read The president has nominated Emil Bove, his former criminal defense lawyer, to be a federal judge
