“On the Holmes Front,” with Frank Holmes”
Rumors of President Donald Trump’s political death are greatly exaggerated.
For weeks, Trump had been written off, as his popularity sank and support for Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis rose.
Then came the IRS raid on Mar-a-Lago, to kick off two weeks of Trump success—which culminated with an incredible record of endorsing candidates in this week’s primaries.
This week alone, Republican primary voters handed Trump another comeback. He endorsed four candidates in Tuesday’s elections—and he had three wins, with only one loss. That’s a record of 75 percent effectiveness—not bad in any political world. But Trump’s full record is even more impressive.
All in all, Trump’s ability to pick popular Republican candidates has racked up an amazing 188 wins and only 19 losses so far—so he’s won 90 percent of all endorsements.
Those numbers come from a comprehensive list of every Trump endorsement, put together by The Washington Examiner. It shows that, while he may have been impeached twice, disowned by some GOP elites, and permanently banned from Twitter, Trump still has his finger on the pulse of the American voter—and he can still direct those voters to do what he wants, as well.
The 45th president’s track record so exceeded the media’s expectations that Politico whined, “One win was the most technical yet:” when Trump endorsed “ERIC” in the Missouri’s Republican primary for Senate. Both major Republican candidates were named Eric. (Missouri Attorney General Eric Schmitt won.)
The Washington Examiner didn’t count the Missouri race in Trump’s nine-out-of-10 victory rate.
This week, conservatives and populists made a virtual clean-sweep of the GOP.
The most visible case came in Wyoming, where Rep. Liz Cheney lost her primary battle with Harriet Hageman by an unimaginable 37 points. “It might be the biggest (loss) of the 21st century,” wrote The Washington Post—and make no mistake, she fought for her life. Cheney tried to beat back Trump’s endorsement with such big names as Hollywood actor Kevin Costner and former Vice President Dick Cheney, her father. She still lost 66 percent to 29.
But don’t cry for her. The Cheney dynasty member has served in Congress for less than six years, but her net worth exploded by a mind-blowing 600 percent. In fact, her bank account doubled in her very first year, from $7 million in 2017 to $14 million in 2018. She’s now worth $44 million—and climbing with every appearance she makes before the January 6th Committee.
Cheney’s the highest-profile Trump foe to come out of the primary with an “L,” but she’s hardly the only one. Rep. Peter Meijer, R-Mich., lost his primary to Trump endorsee John Gibbs after Meijer voted to impeach Trump last year.
In the great frozen North of Alaska, Trump’s allies came through, as well—even when the state GOP did its best to cheat. Senator Lisa Murkowski is the definition of a RINO; she voted to impeach Trump last year, but she’s been an Establishment girl ever since she was appointed to the Senate by her father Frank Murkowski, who was the governor at the time.
The Murkowski dynasty recently benefitted fron an election shakeup by the state GOP. Alaska adopted a “ranked-choice voting” system, which features multiple rounds of votes that could let a second- or third-place candidate come out on top.
In the primary, the top four candidates advance, and Murkowski made it. Trump’s endorsed candidate, Kelly Tshibaka (whose last name is pronounced like the Wookie in “Star Wars”), was hot on her trail… and she had to do it with only Republican votes.
Meanwhile, another America-First populist conservative broke through Alaska’s rigged voting system: Sarah Palin. The former governor and vice presidential candidate came out a big winner in her primary to replace the deceased Congressman Don Young. The GOP Establishment tried to throw her under the bus in 2008 in a desperate attempt to blame her for Sen. John McCain’s loss in the presidential election…but she’s maintained her popularity, and it looks like she’s headed back to Washington.
In two years, Trump might just be there with her, poised to sign the legislation she and so many of his endorsed candidates pass.
This week put him well on his way to returning to the White House. But whatever happens in 2024, there will be a fresh crop of Republicans in the Capitol next year eager to do the will of the grassroots voter, take back their party, and make America great again.
Frank Holmes is a veteran journalist and an outspoken conservative that talks about the news that was in his weekly article, “On The Holmes Front.”