The influence of Donald Trump in his camp will be put to the test. Several primaries at the beginning of May in conservative strongholds see well-established Republicans face challengers supported by the president. And the early signs indicate that Trump’s preferred candidates will not always have the advantage. This tends to confirm that his grip on the Republican party is weakening as his popularity wanes.
These incumbents have committed what Trump calls “mistakes”: Thomas Massie (Kentucky) helped Democrats publish Epstein’s files, Bill Cassidy (Louisiana) voted to condemn him during his impeachment trial in 2021, and in Indiana, several senators defied his orders to redraw the electoral map.
None are running anti-Trump campaigns explicitly, and all are trying to downplay their differences with the president, who remains widely popular among Republican voters. But their victories could give other Republicans more leeway to distance themselves further in view of the November elections.
“There are people who support Trump and will vote for me, because they genuinely appreciate our two roles,” said Thomas Massie to HuffPost. “They don’t want just an executor, and they appreciate that I may sometimes be the only dissenting voice, because you can have a favorable opinion of Trump while thinking that he may be wrong 10% of the time.”
Trump has less time to devote to politics
A Republican strategist, speaking anonymously to freely discuss the president, acknowledged that Trump’s influence had diminished, while still claiming he remained by far the most powerful figure in the party. “Of course, you want the president’s endorsement, but at this stage, you might want it as much for the money that comes with it as for the support in itself,” he said.
Jesse Hunt, another Republican strategist, pointed out that the president has much less time to influence voters. “Saying in an ad ‘Trump supports so-and-so’ is useful, but his real impact is felt when he mobilizes all his capacity to attract media attention to a given subject,” said the official. “He runs the country. He has less time to do so for secondary elections. That’s the reality of power, especially when you are not running yourself.”
The White House did not respond to a request for comment. A Trump ally, also speaking anonymously, indicated that it was possible for him to visit Kentucky and Louisiana before the votes to further support his favorite candidates.
At this stage, in Kentucky, rare public polls show Massie slightly ahead. He faces Ed Gallerin, a former Navy Seal who benefits from financial support (in the order of several million dollars) from groups orchestrated by Trump. A part of the incumbent’s strategy is, in fact, to present himself more as a Trump ally than a critic, even though his support for the release of the Epstein files and his opposition to certain administration priorities often make headlines. In an advertisement, Massie speaks directly to the camera listing a long list of conservative priorities he shares with Trump.
In Indiana, Trump’s candidate almost threw in the towel
In Indiana, Trump is seeking to take revenge on eight state senators who defied his request to redraw the electoral map to eliminate Democratic seats before the midterm elections. He has chosen a local newcomer, Blake Fiechter, to face Senator Travis Holdman, a state stalwart up for re-election.
After receiving Trump’s support in January, Fiechter announced in February that he was dropping out of the race, finding the task too difficult. He then returned to the race and joined other Trump-backed candidates during a visit to the White House and a meeting with Senator Jim Banks, one of Trump’s most enthusiastic supporters on the Hill. “There are many issues that motivate voters in Indiana, but I would bet my Starbucks card that he will lose,” Banks said to HuffPost. With Governor Mike Braun, Jim Banks has spent millions of dollars on attack ads and mailers against the incumbents.
On the other hand, a local Republican official suggested that voters did not care enough about redistricting to unseat Holdman. But due to the lack of public polls, it is difficult to know who is ahead.
Distance oneself from the president without saying it too much
In Louisiana, Cassidy, one of the Republican senators who voted to condemn Trump in 2021, is engaged in a three-way primary against Representative Julia Letlow (who has the president’s support) and former Representative John Fleming.
While Cassidy has run ads in the past emphasizing his relationship with Trump, his most recent ad does not mention the president; instead, he attacks Joe Biden and the consequences of the Democrat’s policies on employment in Louisiana. Crossing paths in a Senate hallway, the incumbent told HuffPost that he did not think the president’s support would determine the outcome of the election. “I think I will win,” he believes. “I deliver results for Louisiana. I have worked very hard for my state. People want someone who gets results for them.”
Currently, the polls are not in his favor. An Emerson College Polling/KLFY News 10 survey released last week places him in third position with 21%, behind Letlow with 27% and Fleming with 28%. According to the latter, Louisiana Republicans still support the president, and his potential success, even without Trump’s support, does not mean that the latter’s influence is diminishing. “This in no way reflects the president’s situation,” he concluded, so as not to insult the future.
Note: This article is a translation done by the editors of HuffPost France, from an article published in May 2026 on HuffPost US. The original article can be read here.
