Trump-endorsed carpetbagger stuns with crash in 'clown show' primary

Carpetbagger Catalina Lauf lost her Florida primary race on Tuesday despite having President Donald Trump's endorsement, according to the Associated Press.

The GOP primary in Southwest Florida's 19th Congressional District was won by local broadcasting mogul Jim Schwartzel, who claimed more than 29 percent of the vote, according to AP.

"OMG TRUMP LOSES ANOTHER ONE HE ENDORSED," reacted former GOP Rep. Adam Kinzinger in a post on X.

Lauf, an Illinois transplant, came in second place with nearly 22 percent of the vote. Five of the candidates in the primary had represented or run for Congress in other states, including Lauf and former Rep. Madison Cawthorn (R-NC) and former Rep. Chris Collins (R-NY).

"Another loss for a Trump-endorsed candidate in Lauf," wrote elections analyst Ellis Bates. He noted that loss came "following back-to-back defeats for his picks Lindell and Ogles in earlier primaries this month."

Collins came in last place with 7 percent of the vote, and Cawthorn had 8.5 percent, only beating out Collins.

In an interview with CNN, a House GOP operative described the race as a "clown show."

"This was the race featuring something like 17 ex-congressmen plus at least two former losing candidates from Illinois," joked political commentator Jeff Blehar. "One of which got Trump's endorsement on the basis of looks alone."

The primary's third-place finisher was Jim Oberweis, another Illinois transplant who had faced Lauf in a primary race in suburban Chicago in 2020. The two joined forces during the Florida primary to accuse Schwartzel of using his media position to buy a congressional seat.

Journalist Jamie Dupree noted, "GOP voters rejected the candidates who moved to Florida." Washington lawyer Bradley Moss responded, "Jim Oberweis moved to Florida?"

Schwartzel, one of the few candidates with deep local ties, ran hard against the transplants, noting that Lauf hadn't lived in the district long enough to vote in a Florida GOP primary. Trump's endorsement of Lauf landed only in the closing stretch and proved too late to close the gap.

The seat opened after Rep. Byron Donalds (R-FL), who has held the district since 2021, passed on reelection to run for Florida governor. Ten Republicans crowded into the primary to replace him in a district so red no Democrat has ever won it. Schwartzel now advances to the Nov. 3 general election as the heavy favorite.