Trump’s Influence Has Energized Outsiders in GOP Primary Races, Strategists Say

News Analysis

A number of successful candidates in the GOP primary elections held on Aug. 9 in Vermont, Connecticut, Minnesota, Wisconsin, espouse domestic and foreign policies consistent with those of former President Donald Trump.

The FBI’s Monday night raid on the former president’s Mar-a-Lago home, as part of an investigation into the alleged moving of documents from the White House after Trump left office, has aroused concern among some voters in those states who feel that federal law enforcement has overstepped its bounds, and it may have provided a further impetus to turn out and support outsider campaigns influenced or inspired by the example of Trump, political strategists said.

The influence of Trump is evident even in deep blue states such as Connecticut, Vermont, and Minnesota. Democrat politicians’ records on issues such as inflation, competition with China, and policing, respectively, have driven public frustration and opened a window for candidates who might not normally think of these states as hospitable environments for their ideas and platforms, the analysts said.

Connecticut

In a deep-blue state, Connecticut, the influence of Trump made itself felt in the victory of a candidate whom the former president endorsed. Businesswoman Leora Levy gained 47,105 votes, or 50.6 percent of the total, compared to 37,177, or 40 percent, for runner-up Themis Klarides.

An article in the Hartford Courant was unambiguous about the role of Trump in paving the way for Levy, calling Trump a “game changer” and noting that a tele-rally held by Trump on Levy’s behalf on Monday night drew no fewer than 32,679 listeners, with a reported 98 percent of callers hailing from Connecticut.

In a speech following her victory, Levy denounced the FBI’s Mar-a-Lago raid as “un-American” and called it reminiscent of what the authorities do in such authoritarian states as Cuba and China.

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