Bret Baier presents updates in Pennsylvania GOP Senate primary
Bret Baier dissects the performance in every area of Pennsylvania for each candidate in primary race on ‘Fox News @ Night.’
Despite being victorious in an amazing 58 of the 59 primary elections in which he endorsed a candidate going into Tuesday night’s contests in Pennsylvania, North Carolina, Idaho, and Oregon, the biased mainstream media and political establishment were poised to launch another assault on President Donald Trump’s strength in the Republican Party if his latest slate of candidates had a subpar showing.
And once again, it didn’t happen by a long shot.
As each week of primaries come and go, Trump haters desperately want their preferred narrative to take hold, but it never does. The former president’s support among GOP primary voters is proving to be as resilient and loyal as ever, much to the chagrin of those yearning to write his political obituary. But facts are stubborn things and today the polls show that President Trump can’t be seriously challenged in the Republican presidential primary in 2024 if he chooses to run again.
CONWAY: PENNSYLVANIA PRIMARY GOP BIDS EMBRACED TRUMP WHILE DEMOCRATS SHUNNED BIDEN
Senate candidate Mehmet Oz, accompanied by former President Donald Trump, speaks at a campaign rally in Greensburg, Pennsylvania, May 6, 2022. (AP Photo/Gene J. Puskar)
The trends that continued last night across the country are crystal clear. Voters know that President Trump’s 'America First' agenda is the right one for our country, and they want MAGA, anti-establishment political outsiders to represent them in elected office.
In North Carolina’s primary election for U.S. Senate, conservative Congressman Ted Budd fit the bill perfectly. President Trump endorsed Budd early on, and it paid off in spectacular fashion. In fact, Trump’s stamp of approval paved the way for Congressman Budd to win a once unthinkable 59% of the vote in a crowded and competitive field of candidates that included a popular former governor. The liberal media will work hard to sweep the implications of Budd’s massive haul under the rug, but what it means is unmistakable. President Trump remains very strong in the critically important battleground state of North Carolina.
The results in Pennsylvania’s U.S. Senate primary are still too close to call at this hour; however Trump-endorsed candidate Dr. Mehmet Oz has the lead. The race appears headed to a recount, but anyone who follows tight elections knows that Oz’s current vote lead will be very difficult – if not impossible – to overcome.
The top three finishers, Oz, Dave McCormick and Kathy Barnette, are all conservative political outsiders in the Trumpian tradition, all campaigned for President Trump’s endorsement and strongly support his America First agenda. Furthermore, the field of Republican candidates received more than 140,000 more votes than their Democrat counterparts. This enthusiasm gap could make all the difference in the general election in the all-important Keystone State. In the gubernatorial election, President Trump’s endorsement propelled conservative State Sen. Doug Mastriano to victory. Before Trump threw his support behind Mastriano, he was polling in the 20s. But on election night with Trump in his corner, he received a whopping 44% of the vote in a very crowded field. Those numbers are an exclamation point that can’t be ignored.
State Sen. Doug Mastriano, a Republican candidate for governor, speaks at a primary night election gathering in Chambersburg, Pennsylvania, Tuesday, May 17, 2022. (AP Photo/Carolyn Kaster)
Other than the Oz-McCormick race which is still up in the air, President Trump had a very strong night winning 23 out of 25 races he endorsed in for the May 17 primaries. Even in North Carolina’s 11th congressional district primary where freshman Rep. Madison Cawthorn was defeated due to an avalanche of negative news reports, he still only lost by 1,300 votes. And in the Tar Heel State’s 13th district, Trump endorsed candidate Bo Hines won handily even though the "experts" were predicting a nail biter.
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In Idaho’s Republican primary for state attorney general, anti-establishment conservative Raul Labrador defeated the state’s longest serving Attorney General Lawrence Wasden by the wide margin of 51% to 39%. Labrador is a former four-term congressman and leading member of the House Freedom Caucus. These convincing results make it clear that voters fully understand that their constitutional rights and God-given liberties are under assault by the Biden administration, and they want tough state attorneys general to band together and take a stand.
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Now it’s onto next Tuesday’s primary contests in Alabama, Arkansas and Georgia. President Trump will win most of the races he endorsed a candidate in, maybe lose a race here or there, and some will likely go to a run-off. Regardless, the anti-Trump media and anti-Trump political establishment will be ready to pounce.
But here’s one thing we know for certain: every Republican candidate who prevails in the next round of primaries will do so because he or she supports Trump America First policies. As each primary comes and goes, one undeniable fact will emerge. Voters are longing for the Trump years of promises made and promises kept. They want a booming economy, low gas prices, a secure border, safe streets, and a peace through strength foreign policy. So, while tracking endorsements, wins and losses is good for ratings and clicks, it’s important not to lose sight of where the hearts and minds of the American people are.
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