Georgia held its Republican primary runoffs on May 16 to decide the GOP candidates for U.S. Senate and governor ahead of November's general election [1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7].
Mike Collins, who received former President Trump's endorsement on May 14, defeated Derek Dooley, backed by Governor Brian Kemp, in the Senate runoff [4, 5, 6, 7]. Collins won approximately 55.5% of the vote to Dooley's 44.5% [4, 5]. Collins had led the initial May 19 primary with over 40%, while Dooley had about 30%, but neither surpassed 50%, triggering the runoff [1, 2, 3, 6, 7]. Collins said, "你們都了解任務是什麼，就是11月讓共和黨當選，擠下奧薩夫," emphasizing the goal to unseat Democratic incumbent Jon Ossoff [4]. Trump praised Collins as "a warrior and winner who supported me from the start" [6].
The Senate seat is viewed as pivotal for control of the U.S. Senate, which Republicans currently hold 53-47 with Ossoff a top Democratic fundraiser and potential 2028 presidential candidate [1, 2, 3, 6, 7]. Ossoff has raised about $60 million total, including $33 million cash on hand as of early May, far outpacing GOP candidates [6, 7].
In the governor's race, billionaire Rick Jackson won the GOP runoff over incumbent Lieutenant Governor Burt Jones, who was supported by both Trump and Kemp [4, 5]. Jackson secured 52.6% of the vote to Jones's 47.4%, aided by strong metropolitan and suburban support and heavy TV ad spending of over $91 million [4, 5]. Trump congratulated Jackson for "successfully building the Trump brand to win victory" [4]. The results show that endorsements from Trump and Kemp, while influential, do not guarantee wins in Georgia primaries [4, 5].
The May 16 primaries also took place in Washington, DC, Alabama, and Oklahoma, with Alabama and Oklahoma GOP primaries seen as tests of Trump's influence [1, 2, 3]. Washington, DC's mayoral primary uses ranked-choice voting and will implement it in the general election if no candidate exceeds 50% in the primary [1, 2, 3].
Georgia's Senate and governor GOP nominees will now face Democrats in November. The general election battle for the Senate seat, in particular, will be closely watched as a potential Senate control decider.
