>>13675225 (lb)
I think the real goal was to expose McKisson, not to elect Lin Wood. Wood is too valuable in other areas. POTUS, Flynn and Wood might be good copping/bad copping their asses here.
So now McKisson is going to be watched like a hawk, and he knows it. This leads to Graham, I think, and maybe Haley. POTUS endorsement cost something, too, I bet. I don't think POTUS would have stepped in unless Graham asked him to, and it had to be on POTUS's turf, since he's out of DC.
If you needed to root out the GOP establishment at the state level, this would be the way to do it. Wood now has McKisson set up to hammer him with, "I told you so", anytime McKisson fucks up and/or tries to stab POTUS in the back. McKisson has no reason to go against POTUS, since POTUS endorsed him. It would have been different if POTUS had endorsed Lin.