Across much of the spring and summer, Republicans executed a mischievous strategy, intended to help steer Democratic primary voters toward candidates the GOP saw as easy to beat in a general election. For the most part, the scheme was largely a bust, and Republicans racked up more failures than successes.

But in a handful of instances, the GOP saw its intended results. In Minnesota’s U.S. Senate race, for example, the National Republican Senatorial Committee invested in advertising to boost Lt. Gov. Peggy Flanagan ahead of her August primary.

Around the same time, in Michigan’s U.S. Senate race, Republicans made little effort to hide their support for Abdul El-Sayed, boosting his candidacy ahead of the August primary, seeing the former public health official as a near-certain loser in a general election.

Both Flanagan and El-Sayed prevailed in their primaries, to the delight of GOP operatives.

Three months later, how’d that work out?

In Minnesota’s Senate race, Flanagan defeated Republican nominee Michele Tafoya by roughly 10 points.

In Michigan’s Senate race, El-Sayed defeated the Republican candidate, former Rep. Mike Rogers, by roughly 7 points.

It’s worth noting that the GOP also intervened in the Democratic U.S. House primary in Michigan’s 7th District, taking steps to boost William Lawrence, who went on to win his primary. Months later, that race hasn’t yet been called, but Lawrence is ahead with roughly 97% of the votes tallied.

To be sure, it’s entirely possible that all of these Democrats would have won their respective primaries even if Republicans hadn’t meddled on their behalf. Nevertheless, the GOP made a concerted effort to help them win, and the party has nothing to show for its efforts.

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