A win and a loss for Trump

Plus: How redistricting reshaped voting for some in West Virginia [View this email online]( [NPR Politics]( May 11, 2022 Hello! West Virginia and Nebraska held primary elections yesterday, so we're dropping in your inbox with a midweek results recap. We will be back Saturday for our regularly scheduled weekly newsletter. --------------------------------------------------------------- Gene J. Puskar/AP Former President Donald Trump went 1 for 2 with his endorsements in key primaries on Tuesday. [In West Virginia]( Trump-backed Rep. Alex Mooney [easily topped]( his fellow Republican congressman, David McKinley, by more than 18 percentage points. The two had to run in the same district after redistricting eliminated one of the state's U.S. House seats. Trump endorsed Mooney after McKinley became [one of just 13 House Republicans]( to vote for the massive infrastructure package President Biden signed into law. While McKinley, who has deep ties to West Virginia politics, touted the billions of dollars the measure would bring to the Appalachian state, Mooney went all-in on his Trump support. With McKinley's loss, the ranks of the 13 House Republicans to vote aye on infrastructure [are dwindling](. But Trump was dealt a blow [in Nebraska](. There, his scandal-plagued choice for governor, businessman Charles Herbster, came in second, [finishing about 4 percentage points behind Jim Pillen]( a regent at the University of Nebraska who had the endorsement of the state's outgoing governor, Pete Ricketts. Herbster faced allegations of groping and inappropriate touching by a number of women, as detailed by [the Nebraska Examiner](. He denied those accusations. The former president's dozens of endorsements across the country — for his loyalists, and against those who've crossed him — are a way to examine [Trump's ongoing hold]( over the Republican Party. [Next Tuesday]( brings additional notable tests, like the Senate races in Pennsylvania and North Carolina, and a challenge to Idaho's GOP governor. — [Ben Swasey]( NPR Politics editor [Read more about the race for Nebraska's governor]( --------------------------------------------------------------- Newsletter continues after sponsor message --------------------------------------------------------------- Matt Rourke/AP The primaries we're following this year come after the decennial redistricting process reshaped voting lines across the country. As we noted above, redistricting scrambled the fortunes of members of Congress, but it also can affect voters at a local level. West Virginia's voters faced some challenges because of redistricting around the state. Here are [some dispatches from member station West Virginia Public Broadcasting's election night liveblog]( Redistricting has been a messy process, says Wayne County Clerk Renick Booth. The county was able to organize its precincts last month, but redistricting has created some confusion among local residents. “Some voters who aren't satisfied; they've got new precincts to go to and I can't blame them," Booth said. "They voted on that other precincts for many, many years and then all of a sudden it had to change.” -- David Adkins, Huntington reporter The Republican-led House passed a bill establishing 100 single-member districts in the state earlier this year, with some Democrats arguing the new map gerrymanders the state. “I would like to see more governments follow a program for completely nonpartisan, unbiased redistricting that associates populations based on their density and relative geographic area and not based on voter base,” said voter Nicholas Tucker, who is voting Democrat. “If you win, you win.” -- Shepherd Snyder, Eastern Panhandle reporter Secretary of State Deputy Chief of Staff Mike Queen said voters who went to their old precinct were being directed to their new precinct and some even got rides to their new polling place. Voters who weren't at their designated precinct could cast a provisional ballot to be counted at canvass time. -- Randy Yohe, government reporter We go deep into communities every day to provide nuanced, reliable reporting on issues shaping American lives. That’s only possible because of donations from people like you. Can you please chip in by donating to your local NPR Member station? [Donate now]( -- [Arielle Retting]( NPR growth editor Listen to your local NPR station. Visit NPR.org to find your local station stream. [Listen Live]( [Facebook]( [Instagram]( [Twitter]( What do you think of today's email? We'd love to hear your thoughts, questions and feedback: [nprpolitics@npr.org](mailto:nprpolitics@npr.org?subject=Newsletter%20Feedback) Enjoying this newsletter? Forward to a friend! [They can sign up here.]( Looking for more great content? [Check out all of our newsletter offerings]( — including Daily News, Code Switch, Health and more! 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