Trump-Backed Michigan Candidate Loses Primary to Rival Who Suspended His Campaign

In an unusual primary upset, President Trump’s favored candidate for a battleground U.S. House district in central Michigan lost to a little-known Republican who had suspended his own campaign, never filed a campaign finance report and had even endorsed someone else.

On Wednesday morning, Tom Smith, a small-business owner from Flint, was surprised to learn he had soundly defeated Amir Hblockan, a Navy veteran whom Mr. Trump endorsed.

Just last week, Mr. Trump had rallied in Milford, Mich., for Republicans, including Mr. Hblockan. Republican leaders had also closed ranks behind him, with Speaker Mike Johnson and Senator Tim Scott of South Carolina both endorsing him.

Now, Mr. Smith is reviving his campaign to challenge Representative Kristen McDonald Rivet, a first-term Democrat. The district is among just a few nationwide that voted for both a Democratic representative and Mr. Trump in 2024, and Republicans declared that her seat was a top target this cycle.

“I am humbled and honored that Republicans have chosen me to take the fight to Kristen McDonald Rivet,” Mr. Smith said in a statement on Wednesday.

Mr. Smith announced in July that he was suspending his campaign and putting his “full support” behind Al Lemmo, a third candidate. As of Wednesday, Mr. Lemmo’s website still displayed a banner reading, “THANK YOU, TOM SMITH!,” with Mr. Smith’s video endorsement embedded beneath it.

Mr. Lemmo’s campaign posted advertisements calling Mr. Hblockan a “Trojan horse,” citing Mr. Hblockan’s admissions that he previously leaned Democratic and did not vote in 2024.

In an interview on Wednesday with The New York Times, Mr. Lemmo acknowledged that his campaign staff had also created ads that “didn’t so much appeal to bigotry against Muslims as kind of counted on it.”

He added: “But I really didn’t like that because I live in a community with a lot of Muslims. They’re really nice.”

One ad featured an image of a woman in a niqab, a long Islamic garment that covers all but a woman’s eyes. Another ad was a montage of web pages and news articles that described Mr. Hblockan as a “proud Muslim.” (Mr. Hblockan said during the campaign that he had “studied other faiths” but was a Christian.)

Mr. Lemmo speculated that voters may have favored Mr. Smith in part for his “plain-Jane American name.”

Mr. Hblockan did not respond to a request for an interview. In a Facebook video on Wednesday, he said he made “no excuse” for the outcome of the race.

“I know what God has in store for me is something greater, even if I can’t see it right now and I don’t understand,” Mr. Hblockan said, filming from the driver’s seat of a car.

Mr. Smith won despite running no TV ads. In a handwritten letter to federal regulators, he reported raising only $1,850.

“I could not file this form electronically because I have had no success logging in and have not been able to get a response from the helpdesk,” Mr. Smith added in a postscript to the letter, which he sent to the Federal Election Commission in July.

With more than 95 percent of votes counted in the primary for the Eighth Congressional District, Mr. Smith was leading Mr. Hblockan by 50 percent to 33 percent, while Mr. Lemmo trailed with 16 percent.

Speaking in Las Vegas, Mr. Trump said he thought Mr. Hblockan was a “good person” who “didn’t have much of a chance” because of a lack of familiarity to voters in the district.

“But I said: ‘I don’t care. I’m doing it anyway,’” Mr. Trump recalled at the rally on Wednesday. “But nobody knew who the person was.”

The House Republican campaign arm quickly shifted support to its unexpected nominee. And Mr. Smith quickly transitioned into his new role, appearing at a “unity luncheon” on Wednesday in Macomb County, Mich., that was hosted by Mike Rogers, the Republican nominee for Senate.

Zach Bannon, a spokesman for the National Republican Congressional Committee, said in a statement that “McDonald Rivet has failed Michiganders and they will send her packing this fall when they elect common-sense conservative Thomas Smith.”

Ms. McDonald Rivet did not respond to a request for comment. The House Democratic campaign arm gloated about the turn of events in the Republican primary.

“Donald Trump and the N.R.C.C.’s handpicked candidate just lost his primary to a man who quit this race weeks ago to endorse a third person in the primary,” said Katie Smith, a spokeswoman for the arm, the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee. “This embarrblocking upset is the latest proof that Washington Republicans are not ready for November.”