LEILA FADEL, HOST:
Jessica Taylor is also paying close attention to today's primaries. She's the Senate and governors editor for the Cook Political Report. Thank you for joining us, Jessica. Good morning.
JESSICA TAYLOR: Good morning, Leila.
FADEL: So we just heard how deeply President Trump has been involved in these state races in Indiana. How unusual is it for a president to get involved in state races like this?
TAYLOR: It's very unusual, but Trump has proved over and over again that he is an unusual president. So I think that he has grudges, and he's going to see them through because he wanted this redistricting done in Indiana and was unable to get it through because of these state senators.
FADEL: What would it say about President Trump's influence if these Republican state senators could defy the president and then hold on to their seats?
TAYLOR: It could be a warning sign that Trump's influence with his base is eroding. I mean, you have even the most loyal people that are upset about him going into Iran, that feel like he's not doing enough on the economy. They're upset with gas prices. I mean, even on immigration, which he once sort of seemed unimpeachable on, we've seen his numbers erode in polling there. And, you know, while there's still a section of his base that will remain with him, no matter what, getting them out to the polls in low-turnout primaries has not - has proved to be very difficult when Trump is not on the ballot.
FADEL: Could failure slow the president's efforts to primary people he doesn't like?
TAYLOR: He has been more strategic with some of his endorsements this time round. But as Tam talked about, where he's aiming, sort of, his fire is about retribution. It's against these folks in Indiana. It's against Bill Cassidy that voted to convict him in that impeachment trial, against Thomas Massie that, you know, sort of frequently crosses him as well. So I think that if there are individuals that have crossed him, I think that he will continue to do that because we've seen that's Trump's MO over and over again.
FADEL: The president is also putting his thumb on the scale in Ohio today. Trump endorsed someone for governor who ran against him in 2024. Tell us about that race.
TAYLOR: Yeah. Vivek Ramaswamy has Trump's endorsement with - for that contest, but I am watching the margin in this contest. He has a primary challenger, Casey Putsch, who has criticized him for being sort of too globalist, he says. It's really become a really nasty primary. He's said very racist things about Ramaswamy, who's the son of Indian immigrants. I think that Ramaswamy will win that primary, but I'm looking at the margin.
This is a key race that I'm looking at in November because it is a closer-than-expected contest for governor. Ramaswamy has more money than he knows what to do with, but he's spending, and he's spending a lot of his own campaign cash. He's put about $25 million of his own money in there. But his Democratic challenger in the primary election is Amy Acton. She's the former head of the state Health Department. Now, she doesn't have a primary challenger, and we recently shifted this race from likely Republican to lean Republican, indicating that it is tightening.
FADEL: And you said you're watching for the margins. What will that tell you about November?
TAYLOR: Well, I think - does Ramaswamy sort of have base support there? As you mentioned, he ran against Trump. He has talked to - you know, he's said a lot of things that are very unpopular in the state about closing colleges there that are really local engines of jobs and different things. And so, you know, if he has some crack in his Republican support, that could be another warning sign for November in this contest.
FADEL: Now, there's a Senate race in Ohio this fall as well, and the Cook Political Report just moved this contest from lean Republican to a toss-up. Why?
TAYLOR: Republicans I've talked to are increasingly worried about this race because Democrats successfully got Sherrod Brown, who narrowly lost last time, into the contest. Now, Brown raised $12.5 million in the first fundraising quarter. He's running against an appointed senator, John Husted, who isn't as well-known, so he sort of has to go out and introduce himself to voters. But this is one that's increasingly close. Again, I'd probably slightly rather be Husted at this point. But with the worsening national environment, this is a really key race that Democrats have to win, I think, if they want to win back the four seats they need for the Senate majority.
FADEL: Jessica Taylor is with the Cook Political Report. Thank you so much for your time and your reporting.
TAYLOR: Thank you, Leila. Transcript provided by NPR, Copyright NPR.
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