Trump’s Endorsement Strategy Is Different This Time

FiveThirtyEight: “First, Trump is endorsing more candidates earlier. So far in the 2022 midterm cycle (as of Dec. 7), he has endorsed 31 candidates in Republican primaries to fill roles in the U.S. Senate, U.S. House and state governorships. That’s more than double the number of candidates Trump had endorsed by the end of December 2019…”

“A big reason why Trump-endorsed primary candidates have had such stellar records is that most of them were already heavily favored to win their elections… So far in the 2022 elections, however, Trump has endorsed 15 non-incumbents in contested Republican primaries for these offices — almost half of his total endorsements.”

“What’s more, Trump has actively tried to unseat seven incumbent members of his own party.”

First Read: “As Trump tries to shape 2022 fields, here’s where he’s meddled the most.”