Trump-Endorsed Candidate Loses In Jam-Packed Primary

August 18, 2026 8:14 PM ET Businessman Jim Schwartzel defeated former Commerce Department official Catalina Lauf, who was endorsed by President Donald Trump, in Tuesday’s ten-candidate GOP primary for a Florida House seat.Schwartzel narrowly defeated Lauf — who ran for Congress in Illinois twice before — after receiving endorsements from Republican Ohio Rep. Jim Jordan and former Southwest Florida lawmakers Connie Mack III and Connie Mack IV. Trump supported Lauf, who worked in his first administration for several months in 2018. The race to represent Florida’s 19th Congressional District consisted of ten candidates, including former Republican North Carolina Rep. Madison Cawthorn and former Republican New York Rep. Chris Collins. Cawthorn served a single House term from 2021 to 2023 and w