Donald Trump's 'kingmaker' status in Republican party faces key test in Ohio

Donald Trump will on Tuesday face a major test of his "kingmaker" status in the Republican party as one of his favoured candidates seeks election to Congress in Ohio.

The Make America Great Again political group linked to Mr Trump has spent over $300,000 on TV adverts backing a coal lobbyist in a race for the Republican nomination in a vacant seat.

The result will be an indicator of whether Mr Trump still maintains a stranglehold over grass roots Republican voters seven months after he left office, and also a signal to Republican politicians across the country on whether they should continue to back the former president if they want to be re-elected.

It comes as Mr Trump has already amassed a war chest of over $100 million since leaving office, which can be used to back Congressional candidates, or a campaign of his own for the 2024 presidential nomination.

Less than two weeks ago a candidate backed by Mr Trump lost in another Republican primary election in Texas.

Make America Great Again spent $100,000 backing Susan Wright, the widow of former congressman Ron Wright, who died in February.

That loss has raised the stakes in Ohio and led to an injection of campaign money in an attempt to avoid a second defeat for a Trump-backed candidate.

Ryan Stubenrauch, a Republican consultant in Ohio, said: "If it happens a couple times candidates and political professionals, they're not stupid, they're going to say you can win this race even if you're not endorsed by Trump."

In Ohio Mr Trump has endorsed Mike Carey, a coal lobbyist who is among 10 Republicans vying to replace a retiring Republican congressman.

The former president met Mr Carey for over an hour earlier this year, and then spoke at a rally for him in June.

Mr Trump intends to back a host of other candidates, including urging the former American football star Herschel Walker to run for the US Senate in Georgia.

Sarah Palin, the 2008 Republican vice-presidential nominee, indicated she could challenge Senator Lisa Murkoswki, a Republican senator from Alaska who is critical of Mr Trump, in a primary election next year.

Mrs Palin, the former governor of Alaska, told an audience at a Christian event: "If God wants me to do it I will."

Political committees linked to Mr Trump have $102 million to spend, according to filings with the Federal Election Commission.

Mark Meadows, his former White House chief of staff, said Mr Trump had been meeting with "cabinet members" at his golf club in New Jersey last week

He said the "magic is still there" and suggested they were "making plans to move forward in a real way, with president Trump at the head of that ticket."