Anti-Trump former Republicans are discovering that a media profile built on opposing Donald Trump does not automatically translate into Democratic primary votes.
In May 2026, two high-profile Never Trump Republicans who had switched to the Democratic Party suffered decisive primary losses, exposing a significant gap between the national attention these figures command and the trust they can earn from left-leaning voters. The defeats came before George Conway, the former conservative lawyer and ex-husband of Trump adviser Kellyanne Conway, faces his own test in New York's 12th Congressional District primary on 23 June 2026. An Emerson College poll released in May placed Conway fourth in the field with just 9 per cent support.