Politics
Trump-Backed Candidate Loses In Shocking Primary Race
A Trump-backed congressional candidate in Michigan appears to have lost a Republican primary to a man who had already stopped campaigning.
Amir Hassan, a Flint native and former federal law enforcement officer endorsed by President Donald Trump, trailed Thomas J. Smith in the GOP primary for Michigan’s 8th Congressional District after Tuesday’s vote.
With 99% of ballots counted, Smith led the three-way race with 50.4% of the vote, while Hassan had 33.2% and Al Lemmo had 16.4%, according to Associated Press estimates reported by local media.
Smith’s lead stood at more than 10,600 votes, larger than the estimated number of ballots still left to count.
Decision Desk HQ projected Smith as the winner late Tuesday night.
The result marked a stunning setback for Hassan, who had Trump’s endorsement and support from the National Republican Congressional Committee as the GOP targets the Democratic-held seat in November.
The outcome was even stranger because Smith effectively ended his campaign less than three weeks before Election Day.
On July 17, Smith announced he was suspending his bid and endorsed Lemmo, urging Republicans to unite behind him instead.
In a statement shared by Lemmo’s campaign, Smith gave Lemmo his “complete and total endorsement” and called on his supporters to back him in the primary.
Lemmo responded by saying he was “honored to receive Tom Smith’s endorsement and grateful for his dedication to our district and shared conservative principles.”
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But Smith remained on the ballot.
And voters still chose him.
After the projected result, Smith said he was “humbled and honored that Republicans have chosen me to take the fight to Kristen McDonald Rivet.”
“I look forward to working with Speaker Johnson and the entire Republican team to expand our House majority and advance President Trump’s America First agenda to lower costs for working families and make America affordable again,” Smith said, according to The Detroit News.
Newsweek contacted the campaigns of Smith, Hassan and Lemmo for comment by email.
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Michigan’s 8th District is one of the GOP’s top House pickup opportunities this cycle.
The seat is held by Democratic Rep. Kristen McDonald Rivet, who won in 2024 even as Donald Trump carried the district in the presidential race.
McDonald Rivet was unopposed in Tuesday’s Democratic primary and will enter the general election with a large financial advantage.
She had raised more than $5.6 million and reported roughly $4.25 million cash on hand through mid-July.
Trump-endorsed Amir @HassanforMi is MICHIGAN BORN and RAISED. He’s running to represent YOU in Michigan’s 8th Congressional District.
MAKE SOME NOISE FOR AMIR! 🗣️🇺🇸 pic.twitter.com/QHsbJXJNyE
— Team Trump (Text TRUMP to 88022) (@TeamTrump) July 27, 2026
Hassan, by comparison, had raised about $727,000 and had just over $104,000 left in his campaign account.
Hassan served in the Navy and later worked as a federal law enforcement officer with the Department of Defense, Department of Homeland Security and Department of Transportation before launching his congressional campaign.
The district covers parts of central Michigan, including Flint, Saginaw, Bay City and surrounding communities.
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On his campaign website, Hassan pointed to his two daughters, ages 18 and 5, and said “restoring the promise and opportunity of the Saginaw Valley is personal.”
Lemmo, an anti-abortion activist and retired mechanical engineer who worked at the U.S. Army’s Tank Automotive Research, Development and Engineering Center in Warren, had questioned Hassan’s conservative credentials during the campaign, The Detroit News reported.
The messy primary now leaves Republicans with an unusual situation in a battleground district they badly want to flip.
