Trump Pans Rand Paul for Endorsing Failed Candidate in Ohio Primary, Boasts of Win
Today former President Donald Trump ridiculed Senator Rand Paul for supporting a candidate other than the victorious one he endorsed in an Ohio GOP House primary held this week.
"Rand is a different kind of guy, but I like him a lot anyway, and I'm proud to have endorsed him when when he ran. Do you think he learned his lesson?" Trump said in a statement.
Trump asked if Paul would apologize "for spending nearly $1 million" on former Ohio House member Ron Hood instead of backing his own winning pick, coal industry lobbyist Mike Carey.
Super PACs connected with Paul and his supporters, including PAC Protect Freedom and America's Liberty, spent nearly $680,000 backing Hood last month alone, according to The Intercept.
Carey, vying to replace former Rep. Steve Stivers in a special election in November, received Trump's support in a crowded field of Republicans. He won the GOP primary easily on Tuesday.
"Tonight, Republicans across Ohio's 15th Congressional District sent a clear message to the nation that President Donald J. Trump is, without a doubt, the leader of our party," Carey said in a statement following his win. "I could not be more grateful for his support, and I am proud to deliver this win to advance his America First agenda."
Corey Lewandowski, a former Trump campaign manager and prominent Carey supporter, weighed in with a warning for other Republicans, saying, according to Politico, "Organizations that endorse candidates against the president's endorsement do so at their own peril and, like the Democrats, will fail. But it will be remembered."
Carey's win was welcome news for Trump after his pick in a Texas special election last week didn't go his way. The former president had backed Susan Wright to fill the U.S. House seat of her late husband, Ron Wright, who died of COVID in February.
Trump painted that loss, however, as a victory, saying in a statement yesterday, "We may eventually learn Democrat voters and anti-Trump Republicans voting together were enough to overcome Susan." He added, "I won because we ended up with a great Republican candidate—the Democrats never had a chance."
The former president has strongly hinted at his intention to run for president again in 2024. Polls indicate that he's easily the front-runner among Republicans if he decides to challenge President Joe Biden.
Newsweek contacted Paul's office for comment but did not hear back in time for publication.
