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Trump's primary interventions

POTUS is campaigning in South Carolina and Minnesota in one week. Photo: Drew Angerer/Getty Images

President Trump is taking a hands-on approach to shaping the Republican Party by continuing to intervene in primaries.

Driving the news: He's holding a campaign rally in Minnesota's 8th district tonight, home of what's considered to be one of the most competitive House races in the country. And on Monday he's expected to rally for the South Carolina governor one day before the GOP runoff election, per NYT.

Another South Carolina race proved the president's power: GOP incumbent Rep. Mark Sanford lost his primary last week after President Trump encouraged voters to ditch him because he wasn't loyal to him.

  • Yesterday, Trump continued his attacks on one of his own, telling Republican members of Congress that Sanford is a "nasty guy," according to Washington Post.

Why it matters: Sanford isn't the first Republican incumbent to lose his bid for re-election after the president weighed in, and he won't be the last. President Trump might be getting what he wants, but he could hurt the party's chances at keeping the House come November.

Be smart, from Sanford's interview with WaPo: “The tragedy of the Trump presidency is that he thinks it’s about him."

Go deeper:

2018 midterm elections