President Donald Trump was facing a new round of tests amid a low approval rating on Tuesday as primary elections heated up, including a red state primary that could shift the political tide ahead of midterms, according to reports.
CNN White House correspondent Alayna Treene described how the president was closely watching multiple races — and what Florida’s Republican primary could signal in Trump’s “adopted home state.” Trump has endorsed MAGA Rep. Byron Donalds (R-FL) in the governor’s race to replace the president’s “one-time foe” Republican Gov. Ron DeSantis.
“He issued that endorsement for Donalds roughly 18 months ago, but what’s so interesting about this race is that essentially that endorsement, the president’s endorsement, did not do enough to clear the field,” Treene said. “And part of that is because Ron DeSantis has essentially come out and made clear he does not want Donalds to be his replacement.”
DeSantis has not endorsed any candidates.
The president will be watching the governor’s race and also the House primary to see which Republican could replace Byron Donalds in Trump’s Florida 19th District, which he won by 30 points in 2024, Treene reported.
“Whoever the Republican nominee who emerges tonight will be will likely be the overwhelming favorite,” she explained. “We had a great headline from our colleague Steve Contorno, who was out with a piece on this today. The headline for his story on this race says ‘a clown show of carpetbaggers and characters has upended a Republican primary in Trump’s backyard.’”
Treene named several of the Florida GOP candidates in the crowded primary race, including Madison Cawthorn.
“You might remember him,” Treene said, referring to Cawthorn. “He had a very brief and tumultuous time in Congress, and then he was representing North Carolina. Today, he’s running in Florida.”
She also noted that former Republican Rep. Chris Collins from New York, who was sentenced to 26 months in jail for his role in an insider trading scheme, was also on the ballot, along with Ola Hawatmeh, who is also from New York. Catalina Lauf, who Trump has endorsed, is not from New York or Florida, but from Illinois. Jim Oberweis ran against Lauf in Illinois.
“So, [it’s] just a fascinating race there,” she added.
The post Primary in Trump’s backyard has become a ‘clown show of carpetbaggers’: CNN appeared first on Raw Story.
