Republicans refusing to back Trump-backed candidates are exposing growing divisions inside the party as the midterm elections approach, with several retiring or defeated lawmakers withholding support from candidates they regard as weak or unsuitable.
In some cases, the disaffected Republicans are continuing to raise money for other party candidates. But they have drawn a line at helping those who defeated them in primaries with Donald Trump’s backing, or who were selected by the president despite serious concerns about their records.
Trump-backed candidates face Republican resistance
John Cornyn, the outgoing Texas senator, has campaigned and raised money for Republican candidates elsewhere but not for Ken Paxton, the state attorney general who defeated him in the primary with Mr Trump’s support.
Mr Cornyn has repeatedly highlighted what he sees as Mr Paxton’s vulnerabilities and warned that Democrats could turn Texas Democrat for the first time in decades. He has also said: “Everything I said about him in the primary is true.”
Last month, Mr Cornyn raised more than $1.1 million at events in Dallas and Houston for senators Susan Collins of Maine, Jon Husted of Ohio and Dan Sullivan of Alaska, as well as for other Republican candidates and the party’s Senate campaign committee.
In North Carolina, Thom Tillis has played little part in the campaign of Michael Whatley, the former Republican National Committee chairman chosen by Mr Trump to run for the Senate. Mr Whatley is facing Democrat Roy Cooper in a contest in which Republicans are increasingly concerned about their prospects.
A person familiar with the campaign said Mr Tillis had not followed through on offers to contact donors who had not committed to Mr Whatley. The person said the senator’s decision not to seek re-election meant he had not been part of the campaign’s strategy.
Another person with knowledge of North Carolina politics defended Mr Tillis, saying he did not support “sure winners or sure losers”. The person claimed Mr Whatley had been a “sure loser throughout 2026”, adding that he had relied on his association with Mr Trump rather than building his own political profile.
Representatives for Mr Tillis did not respond to requests for comment, while Mr Whatley’s campaign declined to comment.
Mr Tillis, who has criticised parts of Mr Trump’s administration and broken with the White House on policy, said recently that the coalition created by the president would not necessarily remain with the Republican Party.
“What [Trump’s] done is created a coalition that, in my opinion, will not stay with Republicans once we go back to traditional Republican platform priorities,” he said. “A lot of the elements of the populism that Trump created to expand a base that made him successful running for president, I don’t think that stays with the party long-term.”
Mark Amodei, the outgoing Republican representative for Nevada’s second district, has gone further by openly saying he will not vote for David Flippo, the party’s nominee to replace him. Mr Amodei cast his ballot for a third-party candidate this week.
Mr Flippo’s campaign has faced allegations involving stolen-valour claims, carpetbagging and campaign-finance issues. He secured the Republican nomination in June after receiving Mr Trump’s endorsement, and outside groups have spent millions trying to protect the seat.
Mr Amodei said that whoever advised Mr Trump to support Mr Flippo had given him “awful advice”.
“The only criteria shouldn’t be, ‘Well, they’re the Republican,’” he said. “I mean, politics is a team sport. But when a member of the team turns out to be this way, clearly this is not a bright and shining moment for the vetting process.”
He rejected criticism from David McIntosh, president of the Trump-aligned Club for Growth, who accused outgoing moderate Republicans of “bedwetting” and said they should support the party’s nominees.
“At least this crowd is absolutely consistent,” Mr Amodei said. “Forget fundamental factual and character messes that campaigns won’t and can’t respond to; and attempt to change the focus to party loyalty. Let me know when Club For Growth does a statement on campaign finance compliance, stolen Valor, and individual background transparency.”
Party loyalty becomes a midterm fault line
Mr McIntosh, whose organisation has endorsed Mr Flippo and Mr Paxton, said Mr Cornyn and Mr Amodei needed to support Republican candidates rather than “posturing for an MSNOW contract”.
Natalie Baldassarre, a Republican National Committee spokeswoman, said Republicans who chose not to help elect other Republicans “may as well be helping Democrats”. The White House did not respond to a request for comment.
Other Republicans have defended the lawmakers refusing to campaign for Mr Trump’s preferred candidates. Kevin Cramer, a North Dakota senator, said he would not question the party loyalty of Mr Tillis or Mr Cornyn, adding that both had contributed significantly to Republican successes.
“But I also don’t begrudge them for their opinions and their right to be open about them,” he said.
The disagreement is less visible in the House, where Don Bacon and Elise Stefanik have helped candidates seeking to replace them. Mr Bacon said politicians should follow their conscience if they believed a candidate “smells bad”, while backing Brinker Harding in the Nebraska race to succeed him.
In Georgia, Governor Brian Kemp has strongly supported Republican Rick Jackson in the governor’s race but has been less prominent in the Senate campaign of Mike Collins, who is trying to defeat the Democrat Jon Ossoff.
Mr Kemp initially backed another candidate in the Republican primary against Mr Collins. He has since endorsed Mr Collins, headlined a major fundraiser in Atlanta and helped at other events, although some Collins supporters say the governor should be more active.
A Collins spokesman dismissed suggestions that Mr Kemp was withholding support, saying he had been campaigning for Mr Collins and Republican candidates across the ballot, while also providing important help behind the scenes.
In South Carolina, Ralph Norman said he had refused to campaign with Darline Graham, who defeated him in a primary assisted by Mr Trump. Ms Graham is expected to win in the Republican-leaning state, but Republicans have made late investments after Democrat Annie Andrews outperformed her in fundraising.
Mr Norman blamed Mr Trump for intervening in the contest but said he would still vote for Ms Graham. A representative for Ms Graham thanked him for that support while criticising Republicans who would not vote for the party’s entire ticket.
The disputes have turned the midterms into a test of whether the Republican Party will continue to demand loyalty to Mr Trump or make room for a return to traditional Republican priorities.
“Folks have to follow their conscience,” Mr Bacon said. “If a guy ‘smells bad’ then I wouldn’t.”
