Politics
NEW: Trump-Backed Candidate Loses Primary Election
President Donald Trump’s endorsement was not enough to carry former Commerce Department official Catalina Lauf across the finish line Tuesday night, as Florida businessman Jim Schwartzel won the crowded Republican primary for the state’s 19th Congressional District.
Schwartzel pulled off the upset in a 10-candidate field, defeating Lauf despite her high-profile backing from Trump and several major conservative organizations.
The Southwest Florida businessman finished with 29.2% of the vote, while Lauf came in second with 21.8%, according to results reported by The Associated Press.
Former Republican Reps. Madison Cawthorn of North Carolina and Chris Collins of New York both finished far behind in single digits.
Schwartzel, a Florida native and owner of a conservative talk radio station, had support from Republican Ohio Rep. Jim Jordan as well as former Southwest Florida lawmakers Connie Mack III and Connie Mack IV.
Lauf entered the race with one of the strongest endorsements available in Republican politics.
Trump backed Lauf, who briefly served in his first administration in 2018, and she also picked up support from Make America Health Again Action, Republican Florida Rep. Anna Paulina Luna, Republican Indiana Sen. Jim Banks, the Freedom Caucus Fund and Turning Point Action.
But Republican voters in the deeply conservative district ultimately went in another direction.
Lauf had previously acknowledged just how important Trump’s endorsement could be in a district the president carried overwhelmingly in 2024.
🚨🇺🇸BREAKING: Jim Schwartzel defeats Trump endorsed Catalina Lauf in Florida’s district 19 congressional election.
This marks the third Trump endorsed candidate to lose an election this month. pic.twitter.com/aiNJYYxeOV
— Kacee Allen (@KaceeRAllen) August 18, 2026
She told the Daily Caller News Foundation that Trump’s backing could “make or break” the race.
Trump won the district with 64.8% of the vote against former Vice President Kamala Harris, who received 34.6%.
Polling before Election Day suggested Lauf and Schwartzel were locked in a tight battle.
A Victory Insights survey released just days before the primary showed Lauf and Schwartzel tied at 19%, while Collins and Cawthorn remained in single digits.
The race drew unusual attention because of the number of candidates with previous congressional experience or campaigns outside Florida.
Schwartzel defeated five candidates who had previously run for Congress in other states, including Lauf, Cawthorn and Collins.
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Cawthorn served one term in Congress from 2021 to 2023 and became the youngest member of the House during his tenure.
His brief congressional career was repeatedly overshadowed by controversy, including being caught with a loaded gun at an airport, being cited for driving with a revoked license and the publication of photos showing him wearing lingerie.
Collins served in Congress from 2013 until 2019.
He resigned after being charged with insider trading, wire fraud and lying to the FBI. Trump later pardoned him in December 2020 after Collins served time in federal prison.
Lauf sought to present herself as an outsider despite her previous political campaigns and government service.
She told the Daily Caller News Foundation that Americans were “so fed up with elitist political class that is not worried about their constituents.”
Schwartzel now moves into the general election as the heavy favorite in a district with a strong Republican advantage.
He is running to replace outgoing Republican Rep. Byron Donalds, who won the GOP primary for governor Tuesday.
The result gives Trump one of his more notable primary defeats of the cycle, but the seat itself is still expected to remain firmly in Republican hands.
