Trump, establishment Dems ride strong in primaries
President Donald Trump wasn’t on the ballot or even stateside for Tuesday’s primary elections in Virginia and South Carolina. But he loomed over both states, just as he has in nearly every nominating contest this year, underscoring how the Republican Party has become the party of Trump and that its politicians cross him at their peril.
As Rep. Mark Sanford of South Carolina found out the hard way, in his surprise primary defeat, having a conservative voting record is less important than demonstrating total loyalty to Trump, who now enjoys higher approval ratings in his own party than any modern president except George W. Bush following 9/11. And in Virginia, a far-right candidate, Corey Stewart, won the Republican Senate nomination after waging an incendiary campaign and portraying himself as a disciple of Trump.
Across four states with contested primary elections, however, Democratic voters embraced the candidates favored by party leaders in Washington and the states, spurning insurgents who tried to align themselves with the activist left.
In a crucial House primary in Northern Virginia, Jennifer Wexton, a state senator endorsed by Gov. Ralph Northam, emerged from a throng of candidates looking to challenge Rep. Barbara Comstock, a gravely vulnerable Republican. In two Nevada House races, Democrats nominated Steven Horsford, a former member of Congress, and Susie Lee, a wealthy philanthropist and party donor, by resounding margins.