The power of a Trump endorsement: list of key 2026 primary winners
President Donald Trump’s political influence in Republican primaries remains formidable in 2026, with early results showing an overwhelming number of his endorsed candidates securing victories across key races.
The president has issued more than 300 endorsements this cycle, the vast majority in primary contests. Of those, Trump-backed candidates have won roughly 98 percent of their primaries so far, according to Ballotpedia.
This highlights his continued dominance within the GOP and his ability to shape the party’s candidate slate heading into November, as primary results provide one of the clearest early indicators of Trump’s continued influence over GOP voters.
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Trump's success has been notable so far, and the list continues to grow as more primaries take place, according to Ballotpedia data.
The outcome of GOP state Senate primaries in Indiana was particularly significant for the president, as Trump-backed challengers won at least five of the seven Indiana Republican state Senate primaries.
This came after Indiana’s Republican-led Senate decisively rejected a redrawn congressional map that would have favored their party, defying months of pressure from Trump, which prompted the president to begin his revenge campaign.
Below, Newsweek has drawn up a list, using Ballotpedia data, of Trump-backed candidates' victories so far.
While Trump has had notable success in the 2026 primaries so far, he has also had some major losses. For example, Georgia Lieutenant Governor Burt Jones, one of Trump's highest-profile gubernatorial picks this cycle, fell short in his runoff against businessman Rick Jackson.
Meanwhile, Representative Randy Feenstra lost the GOP primary for Iowa governor, despite a last minute endorsement from Trump.
In the GOP gubernatorial primary runoff in South Carolina, Attorney General Alan Wilson beat Trump-backed Lieutenant Governor Pamela Evette.
In the GOP primaries for North Carolina state Senate District 26, Senate leader Phil Berger lost the race to Rockingham County Sheriff Sam Page.