FILE – State Rep. Russell Fry addresses a crowd awaiting former President Donald Trump, March 12, 2022, in Florence, S.C. Fry who is running against Rep. Tom Rice in the 7th District in the Republican primary has been endorsed by former President Donald Trump. (AP Photo/Meg Kinnard, File)
OAN NEWSROOM
UPDATED 7:21 AM PT – Wednesday, June 15, 2022
It appears former President Donald Trump continues to have the Midas touch in the Republican Party as his picks dominated primaries in South Carolina, Nevada and North Dakota.
The biggest news coming out of Tuesday’s contest was Trump-backed Russel Fry’s defeat of incumbent Rep. Tom Rice in South Carolina. Fry won with more than 51 percent, therefore, eliminating a no run-off. Rice, who voted to impeach Trump in 2021, said earlier Tuesday that Trump’s hold on the GOP was waning.
“I had hoped that the situation would have been reversed, but again, this seat doesn’t belong to me,” Rice stated. “It belongs to the voters, right? It’s what they want…
Fry became the first Trump-backed candidate to oust a GOP incumbent this primary season. However, Trump’s dark horse Katie Arrington was edged out by Rep. Nancy Mace by less than 10 points. Trump, who has shunned Mace over the past several months, congratulated her on Truth Social and asserted she should easily be able to defeat her Democrat opponent in November.
Governor Henry McMaster was nominated for a second term in South Carolina with 83 percent of the vote.
I am honored at the trust and confidence South Carolinians have placed in me as their Governor. Peggy and I would like to thank everyone for their support. Let us continue working together. Let’s keep winning. The best is yet to come. pic.twitter.com/R13zVDEOas
— Gov. Henry McMaster (@henrymcmaster) June 15, 2022
Meanwhile in Nevada, former Attorney General Adam Laxalt won the state’s Republican Senate primary. The Trump-endorsee took more than 50 percent of the vote, while fending off a challenge from retired Captain Sam Brown. Laxalt will now advance to face Democrat incumbent Sen. Catherine Cortez Masto.
I just called Adam Laxalt to congratulate him on a hard-fought primary win.
The stakes are high. We must take back the U.S. Senate, the House, and the governorship.
I will support Republican campaigns and work tirelessly to turn out every Republican in Nevada this November.
— Sam Brown (@CaptainSamBrown) June 15, 2022
Also in Neveda, Jim Marchant won the GOP nomination for the state’s Secretary of State with 36 percent of the vote. Finally in North Dakota, Senate candidate John Hoeven and congressional candidate Kelly Armstrong swept through the GOP primary with Trump’s backing.