The Patriot Post® · Did Trump Really Doom Congresswoman's Campaign?

In a rare move where Donald Trump tried doing what traditional politicians do, the presumptive GOP nominee endorsed a congresswoman’s campaign for re-election. He recorded a robocall for Rep. Renee Ellmers (R-NC) and she touted the fact that the maverick presidential candidate thought that she deserved another term in office. But despite the high-profile endorsement — the only one Trump has made so far —Ellmers lost her primary bid by 30 points.

As National Review’s Jim Geraghty wrote, “Not only could Trump not save Ellmers in her GOP primary Thursday night, it’s not clear his endorsement did any good. How many incumbent Congressional Republicans want to bet on Trump’s voters to save them in November?”

But the situation is more complicated than the headlines. Ellmers was running a race against another incumbent Republican because a judge had ordered a redistricting. Ellmers had fewer of her original constituents than her opponent did. But the biggest reason Ellmers lost was because she didn’t end up being all that conservative.

As Veronique De Rugy pointed out, Ellmers campaigned as a fiscally responsible Tea Party conservative. Yet when she went to office, she time and time again supported massive spending bill and cronyism like the Ex-Im bank, plus she worked to undermine significant pro-life legislation. No, Ellmers didn’t lose because she got an endorsement. She lost because she abandoned conservative principals as soon as she arrived in Washington. Let it be a lesson to others.