What Went Down During The May 24 Primary Elections

Georgia is the main event today, with 10 primaries that we are keeping a close eye on! Most of these races also involve a candidate endorsed by Trump, making it a major test of his influence. The races to watch are:

• Senate: Former University of Georgia football star Herschel Walker looks set to win the Republican nomination, as polls have shown him at around 60 percent or better against the rest of the GOP field. Endorsed by Trump, Walker has consolidated Republican support, despite allegations of domestic violence, his past struggles with mental health and scrutiny over aspects of his business record. Democratic Sen. Raphael Warnock hopes those problems will sink Walker’s candidacy in November.

• Governor: GOP Gov. Brian Kemp defended the state’s 2020 presidential result, prompting Trump to support a primary challenge by former Sen. David Perdue. But Perdue’s full-blown commitment to electoral conspiracy-mongering hasn’t led voters to doubt Kemp’s conservative credentials. The incumbent is clearly ahead in the polls and looks likely to clear the 50 percent mark necessary to avoid a runoff. That means Kemp is likely headed for a rematch with Stacey Abrams, his 2018 general election opponent, who is unopposed in the Democratic primary.
• Secretary of State: Incumbent Brad Raffensperger faces a Trump-backed primary challenge from Rep. Jody Hice after Raffensperger defended the legitimacy of the 2020 results and rejected Trump’s demands to alter Georgia’s vote tally. Raffensperger isn’t in as good shape as Kemp in fending off this challenge, but he still has a fighting chance, in part because he’s portrayed himself as a strong defender of election security. It’s unclear where this race will end up — it’s very possible it goes to a runoff. Regardless, the winner will most likely face Democratic state Rep. Bee Nguyen in November.

• Attorney General: Different race, similar story. Like Raffensperger, incumbent Attorney General Chris Carr defended the integrity of the 2020 election, while his Trump-endorsed opponent, businessman John Gordon, has promised to expose the nonexistent widespread election fraud. It’s a one-on-one race, and the winner will likely face Democratic state Sen. Jen Jordan in November in another potential slugfest.

• Lieutenant Governor: This contest has also felt the impact of Trump’s election denial. In this race, however, Republican Lt. Gov. Geoff Duncan decided not to seek reelection after criticizing Trump’s efforts to overturn the 2020 election. The GOP race to succeed him is now largely between two state senators, Burt Jones and Butch Miller. Jones has Trump’s backing and has called for an investigation into the 2020 election, but Miller has played to conservatives in the state by sponsoring a law that banned transgender girls from playing high school sports.

• 2nd District: Trump hasn’t weighed in here, but the GOP nominee could threaten longtime Democratic Rep. Sanford Bishop in this slightly blue-leaning seat. The Republican favorite may be former Army officer Jeremy Hunt, who has outraised the rest of the field and has endorsements from Sens. Tom Cotton of Arkansas and Josh Hawley of Missouri.

• 6th District: The redrawn and now much redder seat has attracted a bevy of Republican candidates, led by physician Rich McCormick and former state ethics commission chair Jake Evans. The race could end up going to a runoff between the two as McCormick has more money but Evans has Trump’s endorsement.

• 7th District: The most high-profile Democratic primary tonight is between Democratic Reps. Carolyn Bourdeaux and Lucy McBath, who are facing off in this fairly blue seat because of redistricting. McBath decided to run in the 7th after Republican mapmakers transformed her formerly swingy 6th District into a safe GOP seat. Bourdeaux represents more of the new seat, but McBath has more help from outside groups and may have a larger profile working to her advantage.
• 10th District: Vernon Jones, a former Democratic officeholder, attracted attention with his speech backing Trump at the 2020 Republican National Convention and, with Trump’s endorsement, he dropped a gubernatorial bid to run here instead. But even with Trump’s backing, Jones may end up in a runoff with businessman Mike Collins, a strongly pro-Trump candidate whose father served in the House in the 1990s and early 2000s.

• 14th District: Trump endorsed controversial GOP Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene, who recently fended off a formal challenge to remove her from the ballot based on allegations that she helped foment the Jan. 6 assault on the U.S. Capitol. But this looks like a safe bet for Trump as Greene will very likely overcome her main primary opponent, healthcare executive Jennifer Strahan, and then the Democratic front-runner, U.S. Army veteran Marcus Flowers, in the general.