Trump Touts 97% Primary Endorsement Record Across Five Cycles
Trump posts a chart claiming 762 wins out of 785 endorsed candidates from 2018 through 2026, even as several backed contenders lost August primaries.
WASHINGTON D.C. — Donald Trump claimed a 97% success rate for his Republican primary endorsements across five election cycles, posting a chart tallying 762 wins out of 785 endorsed candidates.
The graphic breaks the record down by year, showing 35 of 36 endorsees winning in 2018, 117 of 120 in 2020, 179 of 187 in 2022, 175 of 178 in 2024 and 256 of 264 in 2026. Trump has emerged as the dominant figure in Republican primary politics. He wields influence rarely matched by previous presidents.
Here is the full post on truthsocial: “Endorsement Record in Republican Primaries. Record by Year | 2018 – 2026. Wins and losses among endorsed candidates 97% success rate over five cycles (762 of 785). 35 won, 36 endorsements, 1 lost. 117 won, 120 endorsements, 3 lost. 179 won, 187 endorsements, 8 lost. 175 won, 178 endorsements, 3 lost. 256 won, 264 endorsements, 8 lost.” on August 28, 2026 at 11:52 AM ET.
This is Trump’s 13th message released today, and the last post was 1 minute ago, and it is not part of a thread. On average, Trump produces 18 posts per day since his inauguration on January 20, 2025. The move fits a broader pattern in Trump’s recent messaging, with 186 of his 612 posts over the last 30 days classified as Elections posts.
Trump’s near-perfect record took a hit in August, when six Trump-backed candidates for House and governor lost their primaries according to nbcnews. Trump-backed candidates still won far more primaries than they lost that month, posting a record of 67-6 according to nbcnews. The setbacks landed even as Trump held the most coveted endorsement in Republican politics.
President Donald J. Trump posted a chart detailing his endorsement record at Washington D.C.
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A review of the president’s picks by Ballotpedia showed a 98% success rate across 312 primary endorsements in congressional, state legislative and statewide elections earlier in the cycle according to usatoday. Trump bragged about that record in response to New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani’s allied candidates’ sweep of three Democratic primaries on June 23 according to usatoday. “There’s no modern president whose influence within his party has come anywhere close to that of Trump in terms of both being willing to endorse and then having such success with his endorsements,” said Mark P. Jones, a Rice University political science professor according to usatoday.
The wins came at a cost to veteran Republicans. Louisiana Sen. Bill Cassidy, Texas Sen. John Cornyn and Kentucky Rep. Thomas Massie were pushed out of office this year after disagreeing with Trump according to usatoday. Trump also deployed his network to defeat five of the seven Indiana state legislators who defied him on redrawing the state’s congressional maps according to usatoday.
Recent runoffs added to the tally. On August 25, Trump’s endorsed candidates won South Carolina’s special Republican primary runoff for Senate and Oklahoma’s Republican primary runoff for governor according to decisiondeskhq.substack. Appointed Sen. Darline Graham defeated Rep. Ralph Norman by 5 percentage points, 52.5% to 47.5%, preserving what the outlet called Trump’s perfect performance in Senate primaries at 20 for 20 according to decisiondeskhq.substack.
Trump’s willingness to intervene against sitting members of his own party marks a break from recent presidential practice. In 2022, former President Joe Biden endorsed in only five congressional races during that cycle according to usatoday. That contrast underscores the scale of the record Trump celebrated in his post.
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