Primaries fuel questions about potency of Trump endorsements

Tuesday’s primaries are fueling questions about the strength of Donald Trump’s endorsement even as the results underscored the extent to which the former president has molded the party in his image.

While Trump’s favored Senate candidate in North Carolina, Rep. Ted Budd (R), won his primary decisively, others who had received his endorsement like Rep. Madison Cawthorn (R-N.C.) and Idaho Lt. Gov Janice McGeachin were defeated. Even more disappointing for Trump, his endorsed candidate in the Pennsylvania Senate primary, Mehmet Oz remains locked in a tight battle with hedge fund manager Dave McCormick.

While last night’s primaries are far from a defeat for the former president, they could stoke further questions about the extent to which he can clear primary fields and play kingmaker for the GOP.