The Republican primaries are a tug-of-war between rightwing and even-righter-wing | Lloyd Green

Trump's claim that the 2020 election was stolen' is now entrenched as Republican Gospel, and the candidates he endorsed have - mostly - done well in the primaries

Donald Trump's sway over the Republican party continues. On Tuesday, Republicans again paid heed to the ex-president's endorsements even as they declined to march in lockstep. Flecks of daylight emerged across the primary battlegrounds. Still, Trump has little to worry about. His fantastical claim that the 2020 election was stolen is firmly entrenched as Republican Gospel.

In North Carolina, Representative Ted Budd received Trump's seal of approval, and won the Republican nod for US senator with nearly 60% of the vote. Budd was a Trump loyalist when it counted most.