(Adnkronos) – Today, Donald Trump’s tour begins in Indiana, aiming to punish in the primaries the Republicans who rebelled against the tycoon’s iron grip on the GOP. The president has indeed endorsed challengers in the Indiana Republican primaries for eight state senators who last December voted to block the new electoral map loudly demanded by the tycoon, who thus suffered a heavy political defeat.
Trump’s involvement has created unusual interest in the local primaries, and a total of $11.8 million has been spent on the campaigns of candidates he supports, a sum infinitely greater than the $500,000 spent by all candidates for the Indiana state Senate in 2024, which shows how important it is considered to punish at the polls Republicans who dare to rebel against Trump’s dictates.
Also because after today’s initial stop in Indiana, Trump’s “revenge tour” will continue in Louisiana and Kentucky, where the president supports the challengers of two of his enemies in Congress, Senator Bill Cassidy and Representative Thomas Massie. On May 16, Louisiana will vote, with Trump loyalist Julia Letlow seeking to end Cassidy’s career, hated by Maga for voting for Trump’s impeachment over the 2021 Capitol assault.
Then on May 19, it will be the turn of the Kentucky primaries, with Trumpian Super PACs having spent over 10 million in support of the former Navy Seal who ran against Massie, a real thorn in Trump’s side in Congress, who for months has reserved ruthless attacks against the representative, but polls still show him ahead of challenger Ed Gallerein.
Politico today highlights how, in general, Trump-backed candidates are struggling to dominate, in some cases gaining narrow advantages, and how the results of these primaries could therefore indicate how effective his political influence can be when his name is not actually on the ballot. With some Republicans beginning to note that the uncertain results of Trumpian candidates may indicate a decrease in the tycoon’s ability to mobilize his base, with the Maga movement perhaps already looking towards the post-Trump era.
