Primary Day Brings More Tests for Trump

Including the Senate race featuring Dr. Oz
By Newser Editors and Wire Services
Posted May 17, 2022 10:25 AM CDT
Primary Day Brings More Tests for Trump
Mehmet Oz, a Republican candidate for Senate in Pennsylvania, visits a car show in Carlisle, Pa., on Saturday.   (AP Photo/Matt Rourke)

Tuesday is another primary day in America, and once again much attention is on races involving Donald Trump. Voters in Kentucky, North Carolina, Pennsylvania, Idaho, and Oregon go to the polls, and the AP sees the day as the biggest test so far in the new election cycle of the former president's clout. Some races to watch:

  • Dr. Oz: Trump has backed Mehmet Oz, the TV-famous doctor, in the GOP Senate primary in Pennsylvania. But former hedge fund CEO David McCormick has the backing of many GOP establishment figures in the state, and that has provided an opportunity for ultra-conservative Kathy Barnette to gain in the polls (despite a history of Islamophobic posts).
  • Pennsylvania governor: In this state's GOP race for governor, far-right contender Doug Mastriano was already leading before Trump backed him over the weekend.

  • Cawthorn: Rep. Madison Cawthorn, beset by a series of scandals recently, is running for reelection against a large field of GOP challengers. Trump has expressed support for Cawthorn without explicitly endorsing him, per Politico. However, Trump has endorsed another Republican in a different House race in North Carolina: political novice Bo Hines, 26.
  • Idaho: Trump backed Lt. Gov. Janice McGeachin over incumbent Gov. Brad Little in the race for governor, and Politico thinks Trump might lose this one.
  • Democrats: Perhaps the highest-profile contest on the Democratic side is in Pennsylvania, where progressive Lt. Gov. John Fetterman has dominated the Senate race but was forced off the campaign trail by a stroke. The 52-year-old Fetterman remains hospitalized, though he's expected to make a full recovery.
(More primary stories.)

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