President Donald Trump can claim a big win in Georgia after the candidate he backed for U.S. Senate cruised to victory in Tuesday’s Republican primary.
Congressman Mike Collins defeated former football coach Derek Dooley, the candidate backed by Georgia Gov. Brian Kemp.
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The result sets up one of the marquee Senate races of the midterms, with Collins now turning his attention to Democratic Sen. Jon Ossoff in November.
In his victory speech Tuesday, he said he spoke to Dooley and Kemp, and said he is “glad they’re on board.”
“You all know what the mission is: it’s to put a Republican in that seat and get rid of that Jon Ossoff in November, return this seat to the people of Georgia,” Collins said.
Ossoff previewed his campaign against Collins in a short statement Tuesday, saying “Donald Trump’s handpicked candidate Mike Collins is a notorious bigot, antisemite, and extremist currently under federal investigation for the illegal misuse of tax dollars.”
He went on to add, “Collins, who is only a congressman because his daddy was a congressman, voted to double health insurance premiums for more than a million Georgians, for the Iran War, and for the Trump tariffs.”
It wasn’t all victories for Trump
But Georgia voters didn’t follow Trump’s lead everywhere.
In the race to succeed Kemp, billionaire businessman Rick Jackson defeated Trump-backed Lt. Gov. Burt Jones in the Republican runoff.
Jackson spent more than $100 million of his own money on the campaign and will now face former Atlanta mayor Keisha Lance Bottoms.
Results in other states
Meanwhile, in Alabama, Trump-backed Congressman Barry Moore won the Republican Senate runoff to replace Tommy Tuberville, who is running for governor.
In Oklahoma, Congressman Kevin Hern won the GOP Senate primary, putting him on track to succeed Markwayne Mullin after his move to the Department of Homeland Security earlier this year.
In California, the special election to fill embattled Rep. Eric Swalwell’s seat will go to a runoff.
Senator Aisha Wahab is leading the pack with more than 40% of the votes. It’s not yet clear who she’ll face in the runoff.
And finally, a race that hasn’t been called yet. Washington D.C. voters turned out to the polls Tuesday to select a new mayor after Democratic Mayor Muriel Bowser announced she was retiring after three terms.
Council member Janeese Lewis George is leading in the race as of Wednesday morning, with almost 53% of the vote. Behind her is Kenyan McDuffie with 36%.
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