Trump endorsements face tests in Georgia, Alabama and Oklahoma

President Donald Trump’s influence over Republican primaries is on the ballot Tuesday as voters in Georgia, Alabama and Oklahoma choose nominees in high-stakes contests, while Washington, D.C., Democrats begin selecting a new mayor and congressional delegate.

The marquee race is Georgia’s Republican Senate runoff, where Rep. Mike Collins faces former college football coach Derek Dooley for the nomination to challenge Democratic Sen. Jon Ossoff in November. Collins led the May 19 primary with about 40% of the vote, while Dooley finished with about 30%, short of the majority needed to avoid a runoff.

Trump endorsed Collins over the weekend, and Collins quickly updated a television ad to highlight the backing. Collins has presented himself as a close Trump ally, calling himself a “conservative work horse” and pointing to his role in authoring the Laken Riley Act, an immigration enforcement measure that was the first bill Trump signed in his second term.

Dooley has the support of Georgia Gov. Brian Kemp, who has campaigned with him and appeared in his ads. Kemp told reporters Monday he had been “very clear with the president of why I thought we needed a political outsider in this race. And the best political outsider was Derek Dooley to beat Jon Ossoff. And obviously he disagreed with that. And the voters are going to weigh in tomorrow to settle that score.”

Ossoff, elected in 2021 by a 1.2-point margin, is the only Senate Democrat facing reelection in a state Trump won in 2024, making the race central to the Senate battle.

Georgia Republicans are also choosing a nominee for governor. Trump-backed Lt. Gov. Burt Jones faces billionaire businessman Rick Jackson, who has spent more than $100 million of his own money on the race. Jones led the May primary by more than 50,000 votes, while Jackson has courted supporters of eliminated candidates, including Attorney General Chris Carr, who endorsed him. The winner will face former Atlanta Mayor Keisha Lance Bottoms, the Democratic nominee.

In Alabama, Rep. Barry Moore and former Navy SEAL Jared Hudson are competing in a Republican Senate runoff to replace Sen. Tommy Tuberville, who is running for governor. Moore, endorsed by Trump, received nearly 40% in the primary; Hudson took about 26%. The runoff has drawn nearly $7 million in advertising, according to AdImpact. Moore’s allies have cast Hudson as “Democrats’ stalking horse,” while a group supporting Hudson has attacked Moore as a “D.C. swamp king” and accused him of “stolen valor.” Moore has said, “I was never in combat and I never claimed to be.”

Oklahoma voters are selecting nominees for governor, lieutenant governor, Senate and House seats. Trump is backing former state Sen. Mike Mazzei for governor and Rep. Kevin Hern for Senate. Hern is running to replace Markwayne Mullin, whom Trump tapped to lead the Department of Homeland Security. CBS News reported that Gov. Kevin Stitt appointed energy executive Alan Armstrong to temporarily replace Mullin, but state law prevents Armstrong from running in November.

In Washington, Mayor Muriel Bowser’s retirement has opened a Democratic contest led by Councilmembers Janeese Lewis George and Kenyan McDuffie. Lewis George is backed by progressives and the city’s Democratic Socialists of America chapter, while McDuffie has emphasized experience and criticized her public safety positions. D.C. voters are also choosing a successor to Del. Eleanor Holmes Norton, who is retiring after representing the district as its non-voting House delegate since 1991.

California’s 14th Congressional District is holding a special primary to replace former Democratic Rep. Eric Swalwell, who resigned amid sexual assault allegations he has denied, according to NBC News. If no candidate wins a majority, the top two will advance to an Aug. 18 special general election.