One of the first tests of Donald Trump’s endorsement power has failed in of all states, Texas.
In a special runoff election for Texas’ 6th District seat in the House, Trump had backed Susan Wright.
She was defeated in a very close election by Jake Ellzey, who had the support of several other high-profile Republicans, including Rep. Dan Crenshaw (R-TX).
This has to be considered a crushing blow to the former president and will bring into question just how much weight he carries heading into the 2022 mid-term elections.
Tough Fight
I wrote about this yesterday and stated that Wright was in for a big fight.
Even with Trump’s endorsement, Wright had an uphill battle.
Ellzey had some major players behind him, including the SEAL PAC.
He had also outraised and outspent Wright in the lead-up to the runoff election.
Dems seem just as happy at the outcome as Ellzey’s supporters, with former Obama official David Axelrod tweeting, “The Trump candidate goes down in TX special That’ll give folks something to chew on!”
Wright accepted the loss with class, sending out a congratulatory tweet to the victor…
Special elections are special, and this one was no exception.
I want to congratulate Congressman-elect Jake Ellzey on his victory. I am praying for his success & wish him well.
I will never forget the kindness the people of #TX06 have shown Ron & I for so many years. Thank you.
— Susan Wright (@SusanWrightTX6) July 28, 2021
Trump has not yet commented on the result, but this will not sit well with him.
Wright finished in first place in the general election and was reportedly leading in the polls leading up to the runoff.
Trump went all-in, even recording a robocall for Wright to use in the final days.
Point being, Trump’s detractors will try to make the argument that Trump’s efforts hurt Wright rather than pushing her over the finish line.
The good news here is that the runoff featured two Republicans, so the GOP did not lose a seat to the Democrats.
The bad news is this has energized anti-Trump Republicans against Trump supporters, which could hurt turnout in the mid-term elections.
Source: Fox News
