Republican incumbents facing primary voters in the coming days share an uncomfortable reality: crossing President Trump, even once, can cost a career.
Sens. Bill Cassidy of Louisiana and John Cornyn of Texas and Rep. Thomas Massie of Kentucky are all scrambling to prove their Trump loyalty — even as Mr. Trump either backs their opponents or withholds his endorsement entirely.
The spectacle has produced a striking paradox: candidates running pro-Trump ads, invoking his agenda and touting his name, without the one thing that matters most — his blessing.
“President Trump’s endorsement isn’t just the most powerful endorsement in politics today; his endorsement is the most powerful in political history,” said Andy Surabian, a Republican strategist and close adviser to Vice President J.D. Vance. “A simple Truth Social post from the president can rewire entire elections.”
Mr. Cassidy, who voted to convict Mr. Trump after Jan. 6, faces a Trump-backed challenger and polls suggest he could finish third in Saturday’s Louisiana primary. Mr. Massie broke with Mr. Trump on the One Big Beautiful Bill and now fights a Trump-endorsed Navy SEAL. Mr. Cornyn has courted an endorsement that has not come, while facing Ken Paxton in a May 26 runoff.
Despite GOP struggles in 2025 off-year elections, Mr. Trump remains, as one strategist put it, “king of the Republican jungle.”
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