Good Wednesday morning. I'm Anna Palmer. And welcome to your Politico Playbook audio briefing, sponsored by UC Davis.

And I'm Jake Sherman. It was a bad night if you're a House Republican. Congressman Evan Jenkins got his clock cleaned in the West Virginia Senate primary.

Indiana Congressman Luke Messer and Todd Rokita spent months whacking at each other, allowing Mike Braun to waltz in and say, wait, both of these guys are D.C. Flunkies vote for me. North Carolina Republican Congressman Robert Pittenger, who

piqued the attention of the FBI in recent years, lost. When House Republicans popped their

heads up to take bigger roles, voters said, no thanks. It's a sharp contrast to past years when

House Republicans, like Shelley More Capito of West Virginia,

Corey Gardner of Colorado, Tim Scott of South Carolina, James Langford of Oklahoma,

Jeff Flake of Arizona, and even Mike Pence launched successful bids for higher office from the

People's House. But there was nothing definitive to take away from last night. Some establishment folks won, others who align themselves with the Freedom Caucus triumphed.

The biggest winner of the evening wasn't even on the ballot. Mitch McConnell and establishment

Republicans beat back an insurgent Don Blankenship who had made the West Virginia primary

a referendum on the Kentucky Republican in sharp and often racist tones.

After taking a beating in Alabama, blanket ships' loss would be a major boost in energy and

fundraising power for Republicans in November.

Stephen Shepard, Elena Schneider, and Scott Bland broke down the top takeaways of the evening.

Number one, Republicans averted catastrophe, but victory in West Virginia is far from assured.

Number two, words alone can't earn the Trump mantle.

Number three, House members went down hard.

Number four, the first incumbent fails.

Will others join?

Representative Robert Pittenger of North Carolina became the first incumbent member of Congress

knocked out in a primary in 2018.

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