Former U.S. President Donald Trump speaks during a rally to boost Ohio Republican candidates ahead of their May 3 primary election, at the county fairgrounds in Delaware, Ohio, U.S. April 23, 2022. REUTERS/Gaelen Morse/File Photo/File Photo
May 1 (Reuters) - The month of May brings Donald Trump the biggest test of his political clout since the end of his presidency, as candidates he has endorsed contest Republican primaries that will set the stage for November's midterm congressional elections.
Trump-backed candidates in Ohio, Pennsylvania and North Carolina face active and well-funded challengers seeking the Republican nomination to run for U.S. Senate. The former president has also backed a challenger to Georgia's sitting Republican governor, who angered Trump by rejected his false claims that his 2020 election defeat was the result of fraud.
They are among the highest-profile -- and in the case of the Senate, most critical for the party -- of the more than 150 candidates for federal, state and local races Trump has endorsed this year. Their races will be closely scrutinized for any sign that Trump's iron-clad grip on his party could be waning as he flirts with a possible 2024 White House run. read more
"It's important for him to maintain that perception, and perhaps a reality, that he is a king-maker in the Republican Party," said Mike DuHaime, a Republican strategist, cautioning: "The Trump endorsement is still powerful, but it's not undefeatable."
Victories in May...
A video shows the Green Party celebrating an election win in a foreign language. False. This video was posted before the election. It is a Bengali language campaign video posted by the Green Party ...