Jonathan Bernstein: “The former president’s power over the party’s voters is nothing extraordinary, but his sway over its candidates is strong. Tuesday’s wins and losses filled in some more details.”
“In general, some of Trump’s endorsed candidates in contested races win, especially when the conditions are good for any high-profile endorsement to matter — multicandidate primaries with little to differentiate the candidates.”
“Yet candidates continue to beg for his endorsement, and in practical terms, that means that a lot of Republican candidates are repeating Trump’s false claims about the 2020 election. Some just refuse to admit that President Joe Biden was legitimately elected, while others are basically campaigning against free and fair elections.”
