Congressional candidate Brian Jack, right, served as the White House political director for former President Trump. (Brian Jack for Congress)
Trump also took sides in the GOP primary race for the open seat in Georgia's 3rd District, in central-western Georgia. The former president backed former adviser Brian Jack, who faced off against five rivals in the far-right field in the solid red district.
Jack finished first, far ahead of his rivals. However, because he came up just shy of topping 50%, he will face off in a June runoff against Mike Dugan, who came in second, 21 points behind Jack.
The victories by the two Trump-backed candidates are the latest examples this cycle of the former president's prowess in influencing intra-party contested elections.
"An endorsement from Donald J. Trump is the most powerful endorsement in modern political history," GOP Ohio Senate nominee Bernie Moreno told Fox News minutes after winning his state's Republican primary in March, thanks in large part to the former president's backing. "There's never been anything like it before – probably won't be anything like it afterwards."
Shusheela Jayapal was defeated in her bid for the Democratic nomination for Congress in Oregon's 3rd Congressional District. (Multnomah County)
Jayapal was backed not only by her sister, but also by progressive champion and two-time Democratic presidential nominee runner-up Sen. Bernie Sanders of Vermont and Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, one of the original members of the "Squad."
The primary showdown saw millions spent on attack ads by outside groups.
In the 5th District, a crucial swing seat stretching south from suburban Portland that will likely help determine if the GOP can hold on to its majority, establishment Democrats came out in their battle with the left in the race to take on GOP Rep. Lori Chavez-DeRemer, who narrowly won two years ago.
SQUAD ENDORSEMENTS FALL SHORT IN KEY DEMOCRATIC PRIMARY SHOWDOWN
Two years ago, progressive Jamie McLeod-Skinner defeated Democratic Rep. Kurt Schrader in the primary, as she ran to the incumbent congressman's left. However, she was narrowly defeated in the general election by Chavedz-DeRemer, as the Republicans flipped the seat in a district President Biden won by roughly 10 points in 2020.
Aiming to avoid a repeat of their 2022 setback, national Democrats worked to block McLeod-Skinner from winning the nomination a second straight time. The Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee backed state Rep. Janelle Bynum and spent around $1 million on her behalf.
Members of the far-right group Proud Boys and anti-fascist protesters spray bear mace at each other during clashes between the politically opposed groups on Sunday, Aug. 22, 2021 in Portland, Oregon. (AP Photo/Alex Milan Tracy)
Schmidt, a progressive, took office in 2020, as Portland was one of the epicenters amid major nationwide social justice protests.
The race was viewed as a referendum on voter concerns over Portland's homelessness and drug use in public, as well as crime and the larger national argument over criminal justice reform.
If Schmidt ends up losing his bid for re-election, he would join a growing list of progressive district attorneys in blue bastions who've gone down to ballot box defeats the past couple of years.
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