Trump’s Grip on GOP Weakens as He Suffers Shock Defeat in Iowa
https://www.newsweek.com/donald-trump-gop-grip-weakens-suffers-shock-maha-defeat-iowa-12024818
Trump’s Grip on GOP Weakens as He Suffers Shock Defeat in Iowa
Published
Jun 03, 2026 at 04:53 AM EDT
updated
Jun 03, 2026 at 09:05 AM EDT
A Donald Trump-backed candidate suffered a narrow primary defeat to a rival backed by the Make America Healthy Again (MAHA) movement—marking the first loss for a Trump-endorsee in the 2026 midterms election cycle.
Representative Randy Feenstra conceded the Republican primary for Iowa’s next governor to businessman and farmer Zach Lahn on Tuesday night.
Feenstra was backed by the Republican Governors Association and viewed as the establishment candidate, while also receiving the “complete and total” support of President Trump.
Lahn was the first candidate in this cycle to be endorsed by MAHA PAC, of the Make America Healthy Again (MAHA) movement, which has clashed with the president on several key issues.
Newsweek contacted both campaigns via email outside of regular working hours on Wednesday.
GOP strategist Brittany Martinez, executive director of the conservative advocacy group Principles First, told Newsweek that Lahn's victory didn’t appear to signal further divisions between MAHA and MAGA, who retain “significant overlap.”
However, she said it could be seen as evidence that Trump’s public support is not the guaranteed primary advantage many assume it to be.
“The bigger question is whether Republican primary voters are prioritizing different issues and messengers within the broader movement,” she said. “Trump remains the dominant figure in the party, but not every race is going to be decided by his endorsement alone."
Independent Journalism Needs You!
Why This Race Matters
This marks the first time in this year’s midterm cycle that a Trump-backed candidate has conceded a primary race for governor, the Senate or the House. Trump's support has been viewed as critical in a handful of recent races, including those which resulted in veteran Representative Thomas Massie and Senator John Cornyn being bested after being disavowed by the president.
What Is MAHA? Trump Clashes Explained
The MAHA movement gained prominence after Robert F. Kennedy Jr. suspended his 2024 presidential campaign and subsequently endorsed Trump: the candidate he said could “make America healthy again.”
Its proponents—including Kennedy, now secretary of Health and Human Services (HHS)—advocate for widespread changes to the country’s food, pharmaceutical and agricultural supply chains in response to what they view as an epidemic of chronic disease in the U.S. Critics contend, however, that certain MAHA positions are unsupported by scientific evidence and could undermine trust in established medical guidance.
MAHA has dovetailed with the wider MAGA movement, and the Trump administration has pushed the slogan and many of its policy priorities since early 2025.
But divisions have emerged between these two groups in 2026, including over a lax approach to pesticide regulation in the GOP Farm Bill among other things.
In February, in response to Trump signing an executive order boosting the production of the weedkiller glyphosate—the health impacts of which are subject to debate—the New York Times reported that “MAHA moms” across the country were turning on the president and expressing disappointment in Kennedy for failing to advance the movement’s aims.
How Lahn Defeated Feenstra
Lahn beat Feenstra 37.8 percent to 37.0 percent, according to the latest projections from the Associated Press.
Feenstra entered the race as the frontrunner and was seen as the clear favorite on prediction markets, despite polls indicating a tighter race, thanks in large part to President Trump’s “complete and total” support. On Monday, Trump reiterated the endorsement, calling Feenstra “MAGA all the way.”
But Lahn found success by campaigning on an “Iowa First” agenda, centered on regenerative agriculture and opposition to "big ag" in one of the nation’s most prominent farming states.
“Big ag and big pharma have rigged the system against farmers and poisoned our families for generations,” Lahn said upon announcing his candidacy. “When I’m Governor, we’ll sue them, break up their monopolies, and make them answer for what they’ve done to Iowa.”
His stance on these issues also brought him into alignment with MAHA groups, which in turn backed him in the race against Feenstra and three other Republicans.
“Lahn has been a steadfast champion of personal health freedom, consistently standing against government and corporate intrusion into individual medical decisions,” the nonprofit advocacy group MAHA Action, Inc. said in December. “As a defender of liberty and family autonomy, he is committed to making Iowa a national leader in medical freedom.”
Other MAHA-aligned figures have celebrated Lahn’s win, including outgoing Governor Kim Reynolds who last month signed a first-of-its-kind “MAHA bill” in the state. The sweeping law reshapes nutrition and wellness standards in Iowa—with prohibitions on artificial additives and on the use of SNAP assistance to purchase sugary foods—and was backed by Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy, Jr., widely credited as the movement’s creator.
Is This Article Fair?
And other prominent conservative voices also came out to support Lahn, and have viewed his campaign as evidence the MAGA coalition is evolving beyond its traditionally Trump-centric structure.
“The coalition of the future on the Right is MAHA with Christian conservatives,” said conservative radio host and pundit Steve Deace before the results were announced. “MAHA ideals are surging among mama and nana evangelicals in particular. What we're going to find out in Iowa's gubernatorial primary tonight is if that future is now.”
What Happens Next
Lahn will in November face off against Rob Sand, who advanced unopposed in the primary and hopes to become the first Democrat to win an Iowa gubernatorial race since 2006.
No comments:
Post a Comment