Trump's GOP stranglehold faces major test in four primary battles

Former President Donald Trump is entering a crucial phase of his lordship over the Republican Party, with four primaries in four states poised to decide his fate as a feared power broker.

Candidates Trump has endorsed for governor in Georgia, for the Senate in North Carolina, and for the House in Wyoming, plus his planned endorsement for the Senate in Ohio, hold the keys to the former president’s standing as the undisputed leader of the Republican Party. Losses in any of these key nominating contests would embolden Republican politicians to buck his directives and challenge him for the 2024 presidential nomination should he run.