Trump-Backed Candidate Sweeps Ohio Primary In Show Of The Former President’s Strong GOP Sway

Trump's pick to replace Ohio GOP Rep. Steve Stivers defeated a large slate of candidates in a crowded primary by a wide margin on Tuesday.

Trump-Endorsed Congressional Candidate Susan Wright Upset In Texas Runoff

Divided Republicans across the state

Democrats are locked out of Texas runoff special election for US House



Democrats have been locked out of the special election for Texas' 6th Congressional District after Republican candidates Susan Wright and state Rep. Jake Ellzey were the top two vote-earners in Saturday's jungle primary.

There were 23 candidates running to succeed the late Rep. Ron Wright (R-Texas), who passed away at 67 in February after contracting COVID-19. Of the 11 Republicans, 10 Democrats, one Libertarian, and lone independent in the race, only the two candidates with the most votes could advance to a runoff election.

Earning the most votes was Susan Wright, Ron Wight's widow and a longtime conservative activist who was endorsed by former President Donald Trump and won 19.2% of the vote. Coming in second place was Ellzey, who received 13.8% of the vote. Finishing third was Democrat Jana Lynne Sanchez, who fell 355 votes short of qualifying for the runoff election, crushing the hopes of national Democrats who believed they could flip the seat and expand their narrow majority in the House.

Since no Democrat qualified for the runoff election, yet to be scheduled, the 6th Congressional District will remain in GOP hands for the remainder of the 117th Congress.

It's a bitter defeat for Democrats considering that the district has become more competitive in recent election cycles since 2012. Republican presidential nominee Mitt Romney won the district 58-41 and then-Rep. Joe Barton (R) won 58-39 that year. In 2016, Donald Trump won the district 54-42, and in 2020 Trump's share of the vote fell to 51-48. Still, though the late Rep. Ron Wright was targeted for defeat by Democrats in 2020, he won re-election by nine points.

Most of the Republicans running to succeed Wright campaigned on a pro-Trump platform with the notable exception of Michael Wood. Wood, a combat veteran and small business owner, ran on an explicitly anti-Trump message and was supported by Trump critics like Reps. Adam Kinzinger (R-Ill.) and Liz Cheney (R-Wyo.).

"I don't want to go to Congress if I have to lick Donald Trump's boots to get there," he told the Associated Press in an interview.

He will not go to Congress. Wood earned a measly 3.2% of the vote in Saturday's primary, finishing in the middle of the pack but well below the expectations he set by estimating that moderate Trump-critical Republicans make up as much as 35% of the GOP voter base.

Heading into the runoff, Ellzey has the most money, but Wright has the coveted Trump endorsement and the most institutional support from the state Republican Party.

Kinzinger-Backed Candidate Places Ninth In Texas House Race

'The Trump thing, it's got nowhere to go but down. It's not growing,' anti-Trump Rep. Adam Kinzinger said at lunch with his failed Texas primary candidate, according to the Associated Press.

Robocall falsely accuses Texas GOP congressional candidate of murdering her husband



Texas Republican congressional candidate Susan Wright is asking federal law enforcement to investigate a robocall that is contacting voters with false allegations that she murdered her husband.

Wright's campaign reached out to the Federal Bureau of Investigation, the Department of Justice, and the Tarrant County Sheriff's office on Friday after supporters received a voicemail message alleging that Wright "murdered" her husband, the late Rep. Ron Wright (R-Texas). She is running in the special election to succeed her husband, who died in February after contracting COVID-19.

Campaign aides told Politico that they discovered the robocall Friday morning after hearing about it from supporters. Politico published a copy of the voicemail message, which is playing just one day before all 23 candidates in the special election face off in a primary Saturday.

"This is illegal, immoral, and wrong," Susan Wright said in a statement. "There's not a sewer too deep that some politicians won't plumb. Imagine it: someone is attacking my late husband, the love of my life, a man who gave me such joy in life. I will not let darkness rule. I live by the light of Christ and his truth will sustain me – as it sustained me when I lost my husband."

Here's audio: https://t.co/0y1e90sTz9

— Alex Isenstadt (@politicoalex) 1619807262.0

The robocall message baselessly claims that Wright "murdered her husband" and is now running for Congress "to cover it up." It goes on to say that according to "confidential sources," Wright "obtained a $1 million life insurance policy on the life of her husband ... six months before his death." The voicemail then alleges that Wright "tearfully confided in a nurse that she had purposely contracted the coronavirus."

The message goes on to claim that the FBI has opened a criminal inquiry into Rep. Wright's death following a formal criminal referral from the hospital where he passed away, with his wife at his side. None of this is true.

The call concludes: "It is clear that the voters of Texas' 6th Congressional District deserve to know the truth about Susan Wright and her involvement in the death of her husband."

Politico reports that the robocalls do not have a "paid-for" attribution saying who paid for the attacks.

Matt Langston, a campaign consultant for Wright, said the campaign immediately contacted authorities after learning of this "criminal smear."

"Susan's opponents are desperate and resorting to disgusting gutter politics because they know she's the front-runner," he added.

There are 11 Republicans, including Wright, 10 Democrats, one Libertarian, and one independent candidate running in Saturday's special election for Texas' 6th Congressional District. If no candidate finishes with more than 50% of the vote, the two candidates who receive the most votes will face off in a runoff election.

Wright is running with the endorsement of former President Donald Trump as someone committed to bringing her husband's conservative values to Washington, D.C.