DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) — From activists on the far right to Elon Musk, allies of President Donald Trump have been quick to threaten primary challengers for Republican senators who don’t back his Cabinet picks and legislative priorities.
In the case of Iowa’s Joni Ernst, conservatives threatened to run against her if she didn’t back Trump’s pick for defense secretary, Pete Hegseth — before she announced she would.
Louisiana’s Bill Cassidy, a doctor before entering politics, is being closely watched for how he will question Robert F. Kennedy Jr., Trump’s nominee for health secretary
South Carolina’s Lindsey Graham, a Trump confidant, has long been targeted by the far right in his state and was booed at a home-state rally during the 2024 presidential campaign.
The Associated Press talked to people connected to five senators who have been targeted online or by rivals in their states.
Here’s a look at each of their potential races and what they face:
Joni Ernst, Iowa
Ernst prompted criticism from the right after she initially stopped short of endorsing Hegseth, who was confirmed by the Senate on Friday. Ernst voted “yes.”
A retired Iowa National Guard lieutenant colonel and Iraq War veteran, Ernst is also a sexual assault survivor. After Trump announced Hegseth’s nomination, she said she hoped to discuss with him comments that he had made opposing women serving in combat roles, and about an allegation, which he denied and was not charged for, that he sexually assaulted a woman he met at a 2017 conference.
Hegseth, at Ernst’s suggestion, affirmed that that “every man and woman has opportunity to serve their country in uniform and to do so at any level as long as they are meeting the standards that are set forward.” Hegseth also said that if confirmed, he would appoint a senior-level official dedicated to sexual assault prevention and response.
Potential challengers to Ernst: Conservative media figure Steve Deace, who posted on Facebook in December that “I don’t want to be a Senator, but I am willing to primary her for the good of the cause.” Iowa Attorney General Brenna Bird wrote in a December opinion piece in Breitbart that some unnamed “D.C. politicians” thought “they can ignore the voices of their constituents and entertain smears” from news media outlets. That prompted speculation that Bird, who endorsed Trump before the 2024 Iowa caucuses, might…