Trump-Endorsed Black Conservative Amir Hassan Loses Primary

Amir Hassan just learned the hard way that having Donald Trump in your corner does not mean voters are obligated to follow the assignment.

Hassan, the Trump-backed Republican candidate in Michigan’s 8th Congressional District, lost Tuesday’s GOP primary to Thomas J. Smith, a retired General Motors engineer who had already dropped out of the race weeks before Election Day. Yes, the man who wasn’t even campaigning anymore somehow managed to beat the candidate Trump was telling everybody to vote for. Things done changed in MAGAland.

According to Yahoo! News, Smith pulled in 50.4% of the vote, while Hassan finished with just 33.2%. Al Lemmo, the candidate Smith endorsed after suspending his own campaign, received 16.4%. Trump had endorsed Hassan and urged Michigan Republicans to get behind the Navy veteran. Hassan also had support from other Republican heavy hitters as the GOP looked to flip the district, currently represented by Democratic Rep. Kristen McDonald Rivet.

Instead, Hassan became the first Trump-endorsed congressional candidate this election cycle to lose at the ballot box. Previous Trump-backed candidates had withdrawn before voters could reject them. Sounds like Trump’s clout isn’t as robust as it once was.

And then there’s Smith, whose victory comes with a ridiculous little plot twist. He suspended his campaign on July 16 and endorsed Lemmo but because his name remained on the ballot, voters still had the option to select him, and apparently enough of them did.

Whether he understands it or not, Republicans just reminded Hassan that he’s Black and Donald Trump can’t save him. The coveted MAGA stamp of approval was barely worth one-third of the Republican primary vote.

The result also puts a dent in Trump’s much-hyped reputation as a campaign kingmaker. An endorsement from the president may rally the base, but Michigan Republicans demonstrated that it doesn’t automatically put a candidate across the finish line which quite the political canary in the coal mine.