A U.S. House candidate in Michigan who was enthusiastically backed by President Donald Trump suffered a stinging loss Tuesday after he was defeated in his primary by a GOP rival who had announced his exit from the race weeks earlier.
“I fell short last night. I make no excuse. It was a tough race,” Amir Hassan said in a video posted to X early Wednesday. “I always think about conservative values, and the biggest conservative value is: You don’t make excuses. We see an obstacle and we figure out a way to overcome it, and this is no different.”
“I know what God has in store for me is something greater, even if I can’t see it right now and I don’t understand,” he continued. “But I was reminded to lean not on my own understanding, but that of the Lord. So that’s what I’ll do.”
A Navy veteran and former law enforcement officer, Hassan launched his bid for Michigan’s 8th District last year. Trump has name-dropped Hassan on his Truth Social platform on at least three occasions in recent months, writing in June that the 40-year-old “has my Complete and Total Endorsement.”
The president doubled down on that sentiment in a similarly worded Truth Social post Monday, arguing that Hassan would “work hard to Grow the Economy, Cut Taxes and Regulations” as well as defend “our always under siege Second Amendment” if elected.
Trump’s endorsement, however, drew pushback from some members of the president’s MAGA base who believed Hassan was Muslim despite him having “reaffirmed his commitment to Christ,” according to his website.
In the end, Trump’s remarks weren’t enough to convince a majority of Michigan voters, and Hassan wound up losing by about 17 points to Thomas J. Smith, a retired General Motors engineer. Smith’s victory came as a surprise to many, given that he’d announced July 17 he’d be suspending his campaign to instead throw his weight behind another of Hassan’s GOP rivals, Al Lemmo.
Despite dropping out of the race, Smith remained an option for voters in his district, given that his exit came after ballots had already been printed. According to the Detroit Free Press, he received 50% of the vote, and will now face incumbent Rep. Kristen McDonald Rivet, a Democrat, in November.
Hassan and Lemmo, meanwhile, received 33% and 16% of the vote, respectively.
While several Trump-endorsed candidates have lost in recent statewide elections, Hassan is the first congressional candidate to be defeated in 2026 despite securing the president’s backing.