Trump's 'acolytes' failing miserably as they try to oust GOP governors: report

While Donald Trump appears to be having success at elevating the profiles of some of his supporters running for the Senate or the House, the New York Times is reporting that some of his avid followers' attempts to oust GOP governors are going nowhere with voters.

Case in point, wrote the Times' Reid Epstein is the campaign of Jim Renacci who is trying to replace Gov. Mike DeWine in Ohio as a Trumpian-outsider only to be such a non-factor he's has suspended trying to raise campaign contributions.

According to Epstein, Renacci "has found himself outspent, way down in the polls and lamenting his lack of an endorsement from the former president."

In an interview with the Times. he lamented, "Why waste time trying to raise money when you’re running against an incumbent? I would rather spend time getting my message out. I just don’t have a finance team.”

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As the report notes, he is not alone with comes to supplanting a conservative Republican governor in the primary.

"Mr. Renacci’s plight ahead of Ohio’s primary election on Tuesday illustrates the challenges in front of Republican candidates who are trying to seize on the party’s divisions to unseat G.O.P. governors. Some have been endorsed by Mr. Trump as part of his quest to dominate Republican primaries, while others, like Mr. Renacci, have not received the coveted nod but are hoping to take advantage of Trump supporters’ anti-establishment fervor," Epstein wrote before adding, "But in every case, these candidates have failed to gain traction."

Among those who are facing challenges but still doing well in the polls are GOP governors in Alabama, Georgia and Idaho who are being pressed by Trumpian candidates, and in Nebraska where a Trump endorsee has a fighting chance for an open seat despite accusations of sexual improprieties.

"In all of the races, governors from the traditional Republican establishment are showing their strength. Their resilience stems, in some cases, from voters’ desire for more moderation in their state executives than in their members of Congress," the Times is reporting with Phil Cox, a former executive director of the Republican Governors Association, explaining, "As an incumbent governor, you have to work really hard to lose your party’s nomination. Even if you’re an unpopular governor with the broader electorate, it should be relatively easy to build and maintain a strong base of support among your own party.”

The biggest test for a Trump endorsee seeking to knock off a GOP governor who has felt the wrath of Trump is in Georgia where former Senator David Perdue's campaign against Gov. Brian Kemp is going nowhere.

"For Mr. Trump, who regularly boasts of his approval rating among Republican voters and his endorsement record in primaries, the prospect of losing primaries — especially in Georgia, where he has for more than a year attacked Mr. Kemp — would be an embarrassing setback," The Times report states before adding, "Polls show Mr. Kemp comfortably ahead of Mr. Trump’s choice, former Senator David Perdue, who has bet his campaign on 2020 election grievances."

Read more about the report here.