Georgia Primaries Deliver Rare Blow to Trump Endorsements

Tuesday's primary runoffs produced a split result for President Trump's endorsement record, with Georgia Republicans rejecting his preferred gubernatorial candidate in the week's most closely watched contest. Billionaire Rick Jackson defeated Trump-backed Lt. Gov. Burt Jones in the Republican gubernatorial primary, dealing a rare rebuke to Trump's influence over the state party.

Trump-aligned candidates fared better elsewhere on the same ballot. Republican Rep. Mike Collins, whom Trump endorsed after the May primary, defeated Derek Dooley and will face Democratic Sen. Jon Ossoff in November. Trump-backed candidates won two of three contested runoffs across Georgia and Alabama combined. The gubernatorial loss was a clear signal: Trump's endorsement does not guarantee victory in statewide Republican contests heading into the November midterms.