President Donald Trump's preferred candidates were doing well in Tuesday's primaries, securing the Republican nominations for U.S. Senate in Alabama, Georgia and Oklahoma, though not for Georgia governor.
Trump has been at the center of this year’s midterm campaigns, and his influence was being tested in different ways Tuesday as four states and the District of Columbia held primaries.
Burt Jones Loses in Georgia Governor’s Race
Jones kept his remarks short, expressing his disappointment and thanking his supporters.“Looks like we’re going to come up a little short here tonight and that’s unfortunate,” he said. “We had a great Election Day. We just didn’t have enough runway to get it all the way there.”
He thanked Jackson and congratulated him on his win.
“We were outspent probably seven or eight to one, and it was a very competitive race, and we felt like we had a chance to win tonight and just came up a little short,” Jones said.
Rep. Barry Moore Wins GOP Nomination for US Senate in Alabama
Moore benefited from Trump’s endorsement in the solidly Republican state. He defeated political newcomer Jared Hudson in the Republican primary runoff.Moore is a three-term congressman and a member of the conservative House Freedom Caucus. In endorsing him, Trump said Alabama deserved a “Trump conservative” in the Senate
Hudson, a former Navy SEAL, had forced Moore into a competitive runoff after the state’s May primary by running as a political outsider and attacking Moore over his ties to Washington.
Mike Mazzei, Gentner Drummond Advance to Oklahoma GOP Runoff for Governor
Mazzei, a former state senator, didn’t receive Trump’s endorsement until the final weeks of a race that featured several prominent Oklahoma Republicans.In the runoff he’ll face Drummond, who has served as Oklahoma’s top law enforcement official since 2023 and has loaned his campaign millions of dollars in a bid to become the state’s first new governor in eight years.
The eventual GOP nominee will be a heavy favorite to succeed outgoing Republican Gov. Kevin Stitt, who cannot run again because of term limits.
Billionaire Rick Jackson wins Georgia’s GOP nomination for governor
Jackson, who gave his campaign more than $93 million of his own money, defeated Burt Jones, the lieutenant governor who carried Trump’s endorsement after being part of the president’s effort to overturn his 2020 election defeat.Jackson said he was the most Trump-like figure in the race as an outsider businessman. His personal investment puts him among the biggest self-funded candidates in U.S. history.
Trump-Backed Rep. Kevin Hern Wins GOP Senate Nomination in Oklahoma
Hern is seeking the Senate seat once held by Homeland Security Secretary Markwayne Mullin.His victory is the latest demonstration of the power of Trump’s endorsements within the GOP.
The four-term congressman received more than 50 percent of the vote in a five-person field to avoid an August runoff after Trump’s support kept his most serious potential rivals out of the race.
The endorsement arrived even before the Senate confirmed Mullin as a replacement for fired Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem.
Mike Collins Wins Georgia’s Republican Senate Nomination
Collins, a second-term congressman, defeated Derek Dooley. He advances to face Democratic Sen. Jon Ossoff for a seat that will help determine control of the Senate for the final years of Trump’s second presidency.The president endorsed Collins on Sunday. The congressman has identified closely with Trump since he first won his House seat in 2022.
A trucking company owner and son of a congressman, Collins campaigned as a self-described “MAGA warrior.”
Trump will be a key fault line in the general election matchup. Ossoff was first elected in 2020 and blasts Trump as a “national embarrassment.”