Updated
Updated · The New York Times · Jun 17
Trump Sweeps 3 Senate Primaries but Loses Georgia Governor Runoff
Updated
Updated · The New York Times · Jun 17

Trump Sweeps 3 Senate Primaries but Loses Georgia Governor Runoff

3 articles · Updated · The New York Times · Jun 17

Summary

  • Three Trump-backed Senate candidates won Republican primaries Tuesday, including Rep. Mike Collins in Georgia, giving the president a key pickup in races that will shape the 2026 map.
  • Georgia delivered the sharpest setback: Lt. Gov. Burt Jones, Trump’s choice for governor, lost the Republican runoff to Rick Jackson, a wealthy health care executive.
  • Another Georgia election denier also lost the secretary of state runoff, reinforcing that Republican voters there still sometimes reject candidates tied closely to Trump’s 2020 election claims.
  • The split result extends Trump’s uneven record in Georgia since 2020, when top state Republicans defended the election outcome and his preferred Senate candidates later lost runoff races.

Insights

Which is more powerful in a primary: a candidate's personal fortune or a major political endorsement?
What causes voters to heed an endorsement for one office but reject it for another on the same ballot?
When few people vote in a runoff, how well do the winners truly represent the electorate?