In the Republican primary in Michigan's eighth congressional district, Thomas Smith, a candidate who suspended his campaign a month ago, beat former federal law enforcement officer and Trump endorsee, Amir Hassan.
Coming into Election Day, Amir Hassan had a 99% chance of winning his race on Polymarket and Kalshi. On every major broadcast of the election, they had no photo of Smith.
Smith's SEC filing was a handwritten note with practically no information of substance. We still don’t know if Smith intends to proceed to the general election. Hassan spent 800 thousand dollars and Smith spent around 0. Smith actively told voters to support someone else.
Hassan’s loss is a glaring warning to Republicans running in Trump’s wake across the Midwest. It foreshadows that his endorsement may not be as powerful as it has been the past 6 years.
The only justification for this momentous upset being that many Republicans saw the name “Amir Hassan” on the ballot and did not vote for him, perhaps because of Islamophobia.
Local and national journals have perpetuated this narrative that may or may not be true. No matter how you spin this, it’s a warning and a real threat to Midwest Republicans with Trump’s endorsement.