Washington: Sixteen months since he left the White House, Donald Trump still looms over American politics.
As 2022 primaries get underway, Trump's endorsement to candidates pays off, reports say.
At least one candidate J.D. Vance whose prospects were slim owes his victory to Trump.
The Venture capitalist and author was one of the many candidates on Republican nomination for Senate from Ohio.
He won the race handily Tuesday as the primary elections season got under way for the 2022 mid-term elections in November, IANS reported.
With this, the former President cleared the first test of his hold in the party.
Further testing his grip, 40 more candidates endorsed by him will face their primaries this month.
Still more, Trump has thrown his weight behind many more Republican candidates.
This is quite out of character for an ex-President in US politics; most of them after their stint would disappear from limelight and lead a quiet life.
Donald Trump remains as bold and strong as ever since he first burst in US politics seven years before.
J.D. Vance who once reportedly called Trump an 'idiot' took dig at media in his victory speech in Cincinnati, Ohio.
The media, he said "wanted to write a story that this campaign would be the death of Donald Trump's America First agenda. Ladies and gentlemen it ain't the death of the America first agenda", IANS reported.
It looks like Trump's grassroots influence is strong as ever, with his fans still expecting him to return to White House.
Trump is seemingly holding the reins of the Republican Party, operating from his club Mar-a-Lago in Florida.
His detractors including the Republican leader in the House of Representatives Kevin McCarthy have to either toe the line or leave the party.
According to CNN Trump remains a fulcrum around which much of the nation's politics pivots.
Not just Trump, his fans also believe that his most glorious political life is still before him.
Many Republican nominees trying to enter Senate know this and they turn to Trump for endorsement.
If the candidates endorsed by Trump make to the Senate, Trump will once again emerge to run for presidency.
Here is a data from CNN that show how deep is Trump's influence in US politics: "In a March poll by NBC News, 40% of respondents who were Republican or leaned Republican identified themselves more as supporters of Trump than of the GOP. Fifty-three percent said they were more supporters of the party. Just before the 2020 election, 54% said they were primarily Trump backers and 38% favored the party."
Both his detractors and supports have to wait just a few weeks more to see if Trump's clout will work again.
With inputs from IANS