Two Donald Trump Endorsements Lose Their Primaries

One such loss in a truly embarrassing and hilarious fashion

By: Austin Abbring

August 7, 2026

Amir Hassan Michigan rally with Donald Trump Photo Credit: Paul Sancya/AP

It has been an exciting week of primaries in several states across the country. There is some serious momentum among the progressive and DSA wings of the Democratic Party, but there are two under-the-radar primary races I want to highlight here. Two of Donald Trump’s endorsed candidates lost in big ways, one in Michigan on Tuesday and one in Tennessee last night. 

Andy Ogles:

Andy Ogles, who is one of the most repulsive members of Congress, lost his campaign bid to Charlie Hatcher. Now I am not at all excited by Hatcher by any means whatsoever, as his platform is a typical Republican one that is centered around pro-Trump, pro-life, the 2nd amendment, and pro-agriculture. Should Hatcher win his seat in November, he should have a discussion with the boss he adores so much and work on dropping the tariffs that have decimated farmers across the country. 

I am just happy to see Ogles out of office for the time being. Aside from being in Congress to essentially just serve Donald Trump, he has had some abhorrent controversies with comments he has made. I have mentioned some of these before, but it is worth revisiting as a reminder of how reprehensible this congressman is.

He has gone on several anti-Muslim rants where he has posted “Muslims don’t belong in American society and that they have the inability to assimilate.” 

Following a confrontation with a pro-Palestinian activist about the deaths of innocent children in Gaza, he responded by saying, “I think we should kill them all.” 

It does not stop at Islamophobia and anti-Muslim rhetoric either. Ogles posted, “Homosexuality has no place in America. Happy nuclear family month.” He also called for a congressional probe into the NFL following Bad Bunny’s performance at the Super Bowl halftime show. Ogles described it as “gay pornography” and “pure smut”. I am not sure what he was watching, but that performance certainly was not X-rated. Perhaps he was confused by a potential arousal caused by the superstar musician. I have no evidence to back this up; it is just some speculation on my part.  Ogles’ campaign was also bogged down by a 2022 campaign finance discrepancy and investigation. The combination of all of these actions led to Ogles’ losing bid. Good riddance. 

Amir Hassan:

Amir Hassan’s primary loss is a fascinating one. Hassan got the Trump nod, but lost to Tom Smith in Michigan’s 8th District. Smith ended his campaign back in July and endorsed a candidate, Al Lemmo. Smith only remained on the ballot because he suspended his campaign after ballots had already been printed. This was not a close finish either. Tom Smith won handily, with 50.4% of the vote compared to Hassan’s 33.2%. Hassan even had Trump at one of his rallies last week. This is the first congressional candidate to lose their race after receiving an endorsement from the president. 

So, what happened? The main theory floating around is the one I happen to agree with. The MAGA electorate’s racism ended up playing against Donald Trump. Why on Earth would they cast a ballot for an individual with a very Muslim name? I mean, Tom Smith is as white a name as they come. That is whiter than mayonnaise. That is who the 8th district’s constituents felt more comfortable voting for, apparently. The Trump administration and Republicans have been drumming up an irrational fear of Muslims for decades, and it just blew up in their faces. Both Smith's and Hassan’s platforms are also abysmal in my estimation in that they are just pure Trump America-first nonsense which provides no value to Congress. Donald Trump is going to be a lame-duck president, and his “America first” vision has been an utter disaster.

Trump only focused on the other candidates that he endorsed and their victories, which there were a number of, but for whatever reason he did not want to mention these two races. I wonder why? His coalition of racists finally betrayed him. This is also one of those rare moments when, in Ogles’ case, voters simply have had enough of a candidate and cannot attach themselves to them. No matter how much they still love Trump, there are some breaking points among his loyalist electorate and the Republican electorate. They, referring to traditional Republicans - to the extent they still exist - prefer the candidates who are not as openly vocal about their blatant homophobia and Islamophobia. That voting bloc may agree with those transgressions, but many of them prefer it done quietly and through legislative attempts. Again, though, this is a rare instance. As Trump goes, so does the Republican Party. I believe it will be that way until he is deceased. For now, we can relish the embarrassing week these two candidates and Donald Trump have had.