Surprise Primary ‘Winners’ Could Have an Eye on 2018

There were two surprising winners on the GOP side of Tuesday’s primary elections: talk show host Laura Ingraham and Rep. Dave Brat.

Neither was on the ballot, and the big news of the night was Ed Gillespie’s near-death experience against Prince William County Supervisor Corey A. Stewart in the Republican gubernatorial primary.

But Stewart’s surprising strength — captured by a single poll from newcomer Change Research — coupled with Gillespie’s manifest weakness has roiled old-line Republicans.

Gillespie had more money, more endorsements and higher name recognition. Yet voters who picked a Republican ballot on Tuesday didn’t seem to care. They wanted someone else, and the loud, Southern-proud Stewart reaped the benefit.

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