University of Nebraska Regent Jim Pillen won the Republican gubernatorial nomination in Nebraska after former President Donald Trump endorsed one of his rivals, winning a crowded primary to replace Republican Gov. Pete Ricketts, who is term-limited.

The Republican field also included businessman Charles Herbster and state Sen. Brett Lindstrom. Pillen was backed by Ricketts as well as Nebraska football coach Tom Osborne. Lindstrom campaigned as more of a centrist than his rivals.

The crowded and contentious primary race was rocked by allegations that Herbster, who was endorsed by Trump, groped at least eight women in recent years.

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The Nebraska Republican gubernatorial primary remains too close to call, but former President Donald Trump’s endorsee is not at the front of pack.

Trump is facing the prospect of a major setback at the hands of a close political ally, with the former president’s choice for Nebraska governor struggling to overcome opposition from the wealthy Ricketts family.

Trump traveled to Nebraska Sunday to rally support for businessman Charles Herbster, who has been unable to turn the former president’s coveted endorsement into an advantage over rancher Jim Pillen or state Sen. Brett Lindstrom.

Pillen is backed by Republican Gov. Pete Ricketts and has enjoyed the generous financial backing of the term-limited chief executive and members of his family, some of whom are among the most prolific donors to GOP candidates and causes annually.

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Though a Republican candidate endorsed by former President Donald Trump has yet to lose a primary in the 2022 midterm election cycle, one Nebraska candidate expects to break the streak.

Jim Pillen, a Republican running in the Nebraska gubernatorial race and currently in a close second as the primary votes are counted, has attended nearly 400 events in all 93 Nebraska counties since starting his campaign and says he has received “amazing support every step of the way.” Although Pillen is not Trump’s preferred candidate, he has been endorsed by a line of top conservatives in the state, including Gov. Pete Ricketts, Attorney General Doug Peterson, former Gov. Kay Orr, and “many thousands more,” he told the Washington Examiner.

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When Sen. Joe Manchin (D-WV) recently called in to a West Virginia radio station, the host pressed him over his unusual step of wading into a House GOP primary in his home state.

Manchin had cut a TV ad for Rep. David McKinley (R-WV), who, due to redistricting after the 2020 census, is being forced to fight it out for the GOP nomination in the 2nd Congressional District with a House Republican colleague, Rep. Alex Mooney. Winning the May 10 Republican primary is tantamount to claiming the seat in the deep-red state where former President Donald Trump had his second-best showing in the nation in 2020.

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State lawmaker Carol Blood won the Democratic nomination for Nebraska’s governorship as the crowded Republican field that another member of the state legislature, Brett Lindstrom is currently leading. Blood secured the nomination with over 90% of the vote.

Republican incumbent Rep. Don Bacon won in the 2nd Congressional District with nearly 80% of the vote. He will face Democratic victor state Sen. Tony Vargas in November.

State Sen. Mike Flood won the House GOP primary to replace Rep. Jeff Fortenberry, who resigned in March after being convicted on criminal charges of lying to federal authorities about an illegal campaign contribution. He will face Democrat Patty Pansing Brooks in November.

Republican National Committee Chairwoman Ronna McDaniel congratulated the winners of the GOP House primaries in West Virginia, where incumbent Reps. Alex Mooney and Carol Miller won renomination. Both are heavily favored in the general election.

“West Virginians are in good hands with Congresswom[a]n Carol Miller and Congressman Alex Mooney as we work to take back the House in November. Americans reject Biden’s historic inflation, gas hike, and crisis at our southern border, and will vote for Republicans up-and-down the ballot,” McDaniel said in a statement.

Rep. Alex Mooney (R-WV) defeated Rep. David McKinley (R-WV) in a member versus member Republican primary on Tuesday, in another win for a candidate endorsed by former President Donald Trump.

Both McKinley and Mooney currently represent West Virginia districts, but the state’s redistricting process shrunk the Mountain State’s three-member delegation to two, losing one of its three House seats due to heavy population loss over the past decade. Rep. Carol Miller represents the 1st District and also won her primary on Tuesday night.

After redistricting, both members chose to compete in the 2nd Congressional District. Trump endorsed Mooney in the race, but the consolidated district, spanning the northern half of West Virginia, includes more areas currently represented by McKinley. But Mooney’s Trump endorsement appeared to overcome McKinely’s structural advantage in the district.

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Polls have closed in Nebraska, and with just over 17% of the votes tallied Brett Lindstrom is in the lead in the Republican gubernatorial primary.

Polls have closed in West Virginia and the first votes are trickling in. With just over 10% of the votes counted, Reps. David McKinley and Alex Mooney running a tight race as the two sitting congressmen battle to stay in office. Republican Rep. Caroline Miller is poised to sail easily through the primary in West Virginia’s 1st Congressional District, and will face Democrat Lacy Watson, who was running unopposed, in the general.