Two Trump Targets Fall, Two Survive June 28 Primary Challenges

John HaugheyJune 29, 2022

Two Republican congressional incumbents who incurred former President Donald Trump’s wrath were defeated, while two survived inter-party challenges in June 28 runoffs and primaries.

Rep. Steven Palazzo (R-Miss.), who is being investigated for federal campaign violations, fell in a Republican runoff while a Trump-endorsed incumbent defeated Rep. Rodney Davis (R-Ill) in their GOP primary.

They join Reps. Madison Cawthorn (R-NC), David McKinley (R-W.Va.), and Mo Brooks (R-Ala.) as GOP incumbents who have fallen into the former president’s disfavor and lost their primary battles.

Rep. Michael Guest (R-Miss.), who voted in favor of forming the Jan. 6 commission, survived a runoff, and Blake Moore (R-Utah), who supported bipartisan legislation to create the commission to investigate the Jan. 6 protest at the U.S. Capitol, easily won his GOP primary.

Those races are among the dozens of local, state, and congressional races on tap as voters in seven states cast ballots in June 28 runoffs and primaries, capping a busy month of preliminary contests to set November general election ballots.

The June 28 contests included five Senate primaries in four states and three governor primaries, including in New York, where Gov. Kathy Hochul easily won her Democratic primary and will face off in November against Republican Rep. Lee Zeldin (R-NY).

Zeldin was the top vote-getter in a four-way primary to win the GOP’s gubernatorial berth. Former New York City Mayor Rudy Giulian’s son Andrew Giuliani finished second.

Despite his former personal attorney’s son being in the race for governor, former President Donald Trump did not issue any endorsements in the primary.

Oklahoma Republican U.S. Senate candidate Rep. Markwayne Mullin (R-Okla.) talks to voters at a primary day campaign event on June 28 in Oklahoma City. (Jeff Louderback/Epoch Times) Oklahoma

In the race to replace 87-year-old Sen. Jim Inhofe (R-Okla.), who was elected to