Trump-Backed House Republican Loses in Primary

ByBENJAMIN SIEGEL ABCNews logo
Wednesday, June 8, 2016

Renee Ellmers, R-North Carolina, the only member of Congress endorsed by presumptive Republican presidential nominee Donald Trump, has lost her primary, becoming the first Republican incumbent member of Congress to lose a reelection bid this cycle.

Ellmers, a registered nurse who was elected to Congress in 2010 on the Tea Party wave, was defeated by Rep. George Holding, R-North Carolina, according to the Associated Press. Conservative group Club for Growth "actively opposed" Ellmers in her reelection bid.

Holding also defeated Greg Brannon, who lost the state's GOP primary to Sen. Richard Burr, R-North Carolina.

Trump recorded a robocall for Ellmers -- who was one of the first members of Congress to endorse his White House bid -- in the final stretch of the campaign.

Related Topics