Former President Donald Trump is still the top kingmaker for Republican candidates in primaries, but analysts say he is denting the GOP’s chances to win some of those races in November.
Soon after Mr. Trump’s endorsed candidate, John Gibbs, defeated incumbent Republican Rep. Peter Meijer in a Michigan primary last week, prognosticators downgraded the GOP’s chances to hold that seat in the general election.
They believe the more moderate Mr. Meijer, who had voted to impeach Mr. Trump, stood a better chance than Mr. Gibbs in November in the newly drawn, more Democrat-friendly, district.
Some Republican leaders fear that the same scenario will play out in other races such as in Arizona, where Trump-backed candidates won primaries for governor and Senate espousing his stolen election claims, potentially widening the gulf for Republicans in those races.