Texas Gov. Greg Abbott and President Donald Trump may get away with Islamophobic language, but the same language is backfiring on some Republicans in midterm primaries.
Several Republicans who have drawn national attention for outrageous comments about Muslims lost their primary elections this cycle. And Abbott, who has used his position as Texas governor to become Ground Zero in the current wave of stoking fear against Muslims, now stands a real threat in the November general election from a little-known Democratic challenger.
Trump, meanwhile, on Monday ramped up his attack on Democrats by calling his party’s opponents anti-American jihadists.
Donald Trump speaks before signing an executive order calling for childhood vaccine shots to be spaced out into separate visits during an event in the Oval Office of the White House on August 10, 2026 in Washington, DC. . (Photo by Anna Moneymaker/Getty Images)
During an event in the Oval Office, Trump was asked by a reporter what recommendations he would give GOP candidates in the midterm elections.
Trump replied: “A friend of mine called up. He said, ‘You know, really, you should use the word “jihadist” because that’s what’s happening,’” he recalled. “We have jihadists being elected all over the place. We have this whether it’s communism, jihadism.”
The Council on American-Islamic Relations, the nation’s largest Muslim civil rights and advocacy organization, immediately condemned Trump’s comment.
“All Americans have the right to engage in public service, regardless of their race or faith. By describing American Muslim public servants as threats to our nation, President Trump is putting a target on the back of Muslim elected officials across our nation,” said CAIR National Deputy Director Edward Ahmed Mitchell.
“This type of dangerous rhetoric is fueling the surge in complaints of anti-Muslim bigotry that our civil rights organization has documented over the past three years, including a record high 8,683 complaints in 2025,” he said. “Anti-Muslim hate is out of control in large part because of politicians who hate America’s diversity and cannot stand the sight of American Muslims engaging in the political process.”
The previous day, Trump posted on his Truth Social platform an image of himself and First Lady Melania Trump in formal attire beside a photo of Abdul El-Sayed and his wife, who wears Islamic head scarf, or hijab. Trump’s post included bad grammar to declare: “Two VERY DIFFERENT America’s.”
El-Sayed is Muslim who is the Democratic candidate for U.S. Senate from Michigan.
Texas Gov. Greg Abbott speaks during the NRA ILA Leadership Forum May 18, 2024 in Dallas, Texas. (Photo by Justin Sullivan/Getty Images)
Recently, a study published by the Center for the Study of Organized Hate found Texas Gov. Abbott as the source for the current round of Islamophobic fearmongering among Republicans.
“Republican members of Congress and governors have promoted conspiracy theories about Muslim Americans, called for the deportation and denaturalization of Muslims, promoted negative portrayals of Islam, described U.S. cities with significant Muslim populations as ‘conquered’ or ‘invaded’” and falsely recast domestic terror attacks as Muslim-led, the report says.
And it all began a Feb. 24, 2025, post on X by Abbott.
Abbott is the Republican nominee for governor in Texas this year, attempting to serve an unprecedented fourth term in a state with no gubernatorial term limits.
His Democratic opponent is Gina Hinojosa, a lawyer and current member of the Texas House of Representatives. A statewide poll released Aug. 9 shows Hinojosa within 1 point of Abbott. No Democrat has been elected to statewide office in Texas in three decades.
Abbott is facing pushback for his alliance with Trump, for his harsh immigration stands and for his inflammatory anti-Muslim rhetoric, mostly focused on a planned community in North Texas to be called EPIC City.
Texas, Tennessee and Florida are among the stop states where Republican politicians have jumped on the anti-Muslim bandwagon, and that has not gone well for several of them.
Christmas greeting card from Andy Ogles and family.
Last Thursday, Republican voters in Tennessee rejected two candidates who have expressed anti-Muslim views.
Rep. Andy Ogles, a Tennessee congressman, posted on X March 9 that “Muslims don’t belong in American Society.” He lost his re-election bid to fellow Republican Charlie Hatcher, a dairy farmer who previously served as commissioner of the Tennessee Department of Agriculture.
Ogles also posted AI-generated videos of himself dressed up as a Crusader from the Middle Ages. He declared; “We must stand and reaffirm that this is a Christian nation.”
In another post, Ogles asserted: “This is a battle of good vs evil. We must reaffirm that our nation was built on Christian principles.”
He called for deporting New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani, a Muslim immigrant, to Uganda and insisted without evidence that the mayor wants to “turn America into an Islamic theocracy.”
Rep. Monty Fritts, R-Kingston, speaks on the House floor Thursday, Feb. 1, 2024, in Nashville, Tenn. (AP Photo/George Walker IV)
Tennessee state Rep. Monty Fritts also defeated last Thursday, placing third in the Republican primary for governor. Fritz went on TV and said Islam is not a religion but a “political movement” and he would ban mosques from the state.
Earlier this spring, Texas U.S. Rep. Chip Roy also faced a primary humiliation in his bid to become Texas attorney general. Although Roy was on record with anti-Muslim comments, his primary opponent, Mays Middleton, ran from the hard right and had the endorsement of Trump. So it is possible his anti-Muslim views were not a factor in his defeat.
Roy and Texas U.S. Rep. Keith Self launched the Sharia-Free America Caucus last December, which included 62 House members as of early April 2026.
Rep. Randy Fine of Florida has made the most anti-Muslim posts on social media of any elected official. He won his primary race and will appear on the general election ballot in November.
Nancy Mace
Rep. Nancy Mace of South Carolina has claimed all Muslims holding public office are “Trojan horses” and national security threats and declared the U.S. is “not under Muhammad.”
She was running to become governor of South Carolina and lost her primary in June.
One Republican senator has drawn notice for speaking against his colleagues’ anti-Muslim rhetoric. That’s Sen. Bill Cassidy of Louisiana.
During an Aug. 9 interview on Face the Nation, moderator Margaret Brennan asked the senator about Islamophobic statements from members of his party.
Cassidy responded, “I condemn language like that.”
He said people should be judged as individuals rather than by their faith communities. He spoke of positive personal and professional experiences with Muslim doctors and others in Louisiana.