The May Primaries Will Test Trump's Role As GOP Kingmaker

That's the kind of reaction Perdue can expect if he loses his May 24 primary to Kemp, said Stutzman. The same can be said of former Georgia Sen. The person close to Trump described the next 30 days as "pivotal" to the former President's future inside the GOP, especially if he decides to run again in 2024. Some Trump aides have privately joked that a successful run in May will finally give him something to talk about besides the 2020 election, this person said. Alternatively, this person said, the major risks that Trump has taken -- both in recruiting insurgent candidates to challenge Republican incumbents and diving into crowded primaries -- could deliver major rewards if the bulk of those contestants prevail. In an effort to prevent that scenario, Trump recently funneled $500,000 from his Save America PAC to Get Georgia Right PAC, a group that is working to defeat Kemp in the primary, according to a person familiar with the donation. Less than a month before his PAC contributed half a million dollars to help defeat Kemp, who drew Trump's ire in the wake of the 2020 election for refusing to indulge his voter fraud conspiracies, the former President told a right-wing news outlet that he endorses "a lot of people that are long shots" in response to a question about Perdue.

One recent campaign ad from Ryan also blamed America's current economic woes on China, echoing Trump's posture toward Beijing. One Trump aide, who requested anonymity to discuss private conversations, said the former President is currently feeling bullish and has talked about throwing his weight behind a candidate in the Grand Canyon State before the end of this month, long before the August 2 primary. David Perdue in his gubernatorial bid, which could deliver a stinging loss for Trump on May 24 if incumbent GOP Gov. GOP strategist Rob Stutzman. Trump's rush to prove his sway over the GOP has left him in a vulnerable spot if the gubernatorial and down-ballot races he is counting on to drive momentum next month fail to deliver his desired results. But others in Trump's orbit have recently counseled him to wait to see how the next month plays out, arguing that the odds of Trump entering next year with a clean record of winners diminishes with every high-risk move he makes. The earliest barometer of Trump's influence will happen May 3 in Ohio, when voters in the Republican primary will decide whether to send Vance to the general election contest, where he is likely to face Democratic Rep.

He has not yet endorsed in gubernatorial primaries happening between June and August in Nevada, Wisconsin or Michigan, nor has he endorsed a Senate candidate in Arizona, Missouri or Alabama, where he yanked his support from Rep. Arizona Senate candidate who, like Vance, has been bankrolled by conservative tech billionaire and Trump confidant Peter Thiel in his primary. Who could beat Donald Trump in 2024? These advisers openly admit that Trump is gearing up for a third presidential bid in 2024 and have told him that the best way to improve his positioning out of the gate is to enter this fall with a clear track record of picking winners. The odds of Trump entering next year with a clean record of winners also diminishes with every high-risk move he makes, hence the advice he's received from some in his circle to hit the pause button on an endorsement in Arizona. But the odds of Trump finishing the 2022 midterm cycle with an unblemished track record of endorsements looks increasingly unlikely as some of his candidates have stumbled on the campaign trail, others have failed to outraise their incumbent opponents and a few remain in competitive primaries. Ted Budd in North Carolina -- remain locked in tight primaries and are fighting for survival in their final weeks.

While one or two losses could be chalked up to fundraising difficulties or personality issues, one former Trump campaign official said the former President will be forced to recalibrate the midterm strategy he's developed from his Palm Beach perch if voters reject multiple candidates who are competing with his stamp of approval. Tim Ryan. Should one of the other Trump-aligned candidates vanquish Vance, aides expect Trump to become more reserved in choosing which remaining primaries to wade into. Should the May primaries tarnish his endorsement record, some Republicans expect Trump to waste no time blaming everyone but himself for the unfavorable outcome. Nowhere, though, has Trump engaged more blatantly in expectation-setting than in the race for governor in Georgia. Instead of stopping there, he went so far as to suggest that he could lose the Georgia gubernatorial primary -- marking a rare acknowledgement of weakness by Trump. Publicly, Trump has appeared confident about his candidate choices so far. Trump said in the March 29 interview with Real America's Voice. Mo Brooks in March while promising to re-endorse before the May 24 primary. After all, when the former President announced his plan last month to withdraw his endorsement from Brooks in Alabama, he claimed the congressman had made himself unwinnable by refusing to spend the bulk of his campaign talking about the 2020 election.