3 reasons Trump's influence took a big hit Tuesday

Plus: More primary results from AL, AR, GA and TX

View this email online May 25, 2022 On Tuesday, at least 21 people -- mostly children -- were reported killed by a lone gunman at an elementary school in Uvalde, Texas. NPR and our member stations throughout the region will continue to report on the tragedy in Uvalde, (you can find that coverage here), as well as how it underscores why elections at all levels of government matter. Trump's influence takes a big hit Joe Raedle/Getty Images You’d be hard-pressed to find two Republican incumbents who drew more of former President Trump’s ire than Georgia Gov. Brian Kemp and Georgia Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger. But both won by huge margins in primaries Tuesday against hand-picked, Trump-recruited challengers who campaigned on his election lies. So what happened? 1. The power of the incumbency. Incumbents have a high reelection rate in this country. They have a known record and brand, and that was certainly the case in Georgia. 2. A sustained GOP push against Trump. Few places have seen a sustained push against Trumpism in the GOP. That happened in Georgia, where top state officials all lined up against Trump’s lies, in different ways. 3. Trump’s erosion in favorability. Make no mistake: Trump is still the biggest thing in Republican politics and remains the overwhelming favorite to win the 2024 presidential nomination if he wants it. But he has seen an almost 20-point decline in how strongly Republicans view him since the 2020 election. — Domenico Montanaro, NPR’s senior political editor/correspondent Read More Newsletter continues after sponsor message From Our Network Alabama While Alabama’s incumbent Gov. Kay Ivey won the Republican primary Tuesday night, her Democratic challenger will be decided in a runoff. As WBHM’s Cody Short reports, Alabama hasn't elected a Democrat for governor in nearly a quarter-century. Explore the results. Arkansas Former Trump press secretary Sarah Huckabee Sanders overwhelmingly won the Arkansas Republican primary for governor, beating her opponent by over 60 percentage points. As KUAR’s Daniel Breen explains, Sanders would be the first woman elected to the post, a job once held by her father, former Gov. Mike Huckabee. Georgia Meanwhile, former University of Georgia football star Herschel Walker won Georgia’s GOP Senate primary. He’ll be up against incumbent Sen. Raphael Warnock in what is expected to be, what Georgia Public Broadcasting’s Stephen Fowler calls, a costly, bruising general election campaign.   Texas Incumbent Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton – endorsed by former President Donald Trump and who made national headlines earlier this year with a non-binding opinion equating gender affirming care to “child abuse”– won his primary for reelection. As Andrew Schneider of Houston Public Media reports, Paxton secured his victory over George P. Bush despite heavy legal baggage. -- Emily Alfin Johnson, NPR digital news editor We go deep into communities every day to provide nuanced, reliable reporting on issues shaping American lives. That's only possible because of donations from people like you. Can you please chip in by donating to your local NPR Member station? Donate now. Listen to your local NPR station. Visit NPR.org to hear live radio from WBEZ (edit station). What do you think of today's email? We'd love to hear your thoughts, questions and feedback: nprpolitics@npr.org Enjoying this newsletter? Forward to a friend! They can sign up here. Looking for more great content? Check out all of our newsletter offerings — including Daily News, Code Switch, Health and more! You received this message because you're subscribed to Politics emails. This email was sent by National Public Radio, Inc., 1111 North Capitol Street NE, Washington, DC 20002 Unsubscribe  |  Privacy Policy