Donald Trump’s endorsed candidate in a Michigan battleground district has eaten the dust of a rival candidate who dropped out of the race to back someone else instead.
The president, 80, likes to trumpet his GOP kingmaker credentials, sharing graphics on Truth Social that declare: “President Trump endorsements 100%.” Every candidate he’s backed for Congress so far this cycle had won their primary races except two, who bowed out mid-contest amid scandal rather than losing at the ballot box.
On Tuesday, that streak ended. Amir Hassan, 40, launched his bid for Michigan’s 8th District over a year ago, and Trump handed him a “Complete and Total Endorsement” on Truth Social in July. It did Hassan little good. The president’s own supporters flooded that post with religious hate—claiming the candidate is Muslim even though his own campaign site says he’s a Christian.
In the end, Thomas J. Smith, a retired General Motors engineer, took 50.4 percent of the vote to Hassan’s 33.2 percent, according to the Associated Press. The outlet’s Decision Desk HQ called the race late Tuesday, and Smith said he was “humbled and honored that Republicans have chosen me.”
He could have added “surprised” into the mix. Smith had, in fact, walked away from the contest on July 17. His name stayed on the ballot even though he said he was suspending his bid to instead throw his weight behind another of Hassan’s rivals, anti-abortion activist Al Lemmo, who wound up taking a 16.4 percent share of the vote.
Hassan becomes the first Trump candidate to lose a congressional primary at the ballot box. The two earlier exceptions never reached a vote. Texas Rep. Tony Gonzales quit in March after admitting to an affair with a female staffer who later took her own life, handing the nomination to Brandon Herrera. Tulsa pastor Jackson Lahmeyer made an Oklahoma runoff in June, then dropped out a day later over a flirtatious texting scandal. Trump switched his endorsement in both races.
There have also been a string of upsets in state races. Georgia Lieutenant Governor Burt Jones lost his gubernatorial runoff to businessman Rick Jackson, and Representative Randy Feenstra lost Iowa’s gubernatorial primary. In South Carolina, Trump protected his streak by endorsing both runoff candidates for governor at once.
Smith now faces Democratic Rep. Kristen McDonald Rivet, 56, who faced no primary opponent. She had banked roughly $4.25 million by mid-July after raising more than $5.6 million. Hassan raised about $727,000. Trump carried the district by two points in 2024; McDonald Rivet won it by nearly seven.
The Daily Beast has contacted the White House and the Smith and Hassan campaigns.
