After seeing House members in Georgia, South Dakota, South Carolina and Iowa fail to make the jump to statewide office and a pair of House incumbents losing primaries in New York last week, there was increased national attention on a handful of races in Colorado to see if Washington is a visible stain on candidates’ resumes.

Here’s what happened in the Centennial State on Tuesday:

Senate. John Hickenlooper (D), elected 2020 (54%). Hickenlooper won re-nomination for a second term over progressive state Sen. Julie Gonzales by an underwhelming 57-43 percent. That’s a similar margin to six years ago, when the former governor defeated former state House Speaker Andrew Romanoff, 59-41 percent, in his initial primary. He is a prohibitive favorite in the general election against state Sen. Mark Baisley, who won the Republican nomination at the party convention in April. Solid Democratic.

Governor. Open; Jared Polis (D), term-limited. Sitting House members from Dusty Johnson in South Dakota to Randy Feenstra in Iowa to Nancy Mace and Ralph Norman in South Carolina have struggled to translate their electoral success in Congress to gubernatorial primaries this year. That streak now extends to the upper chamber, as Sen. Michael Bennet was defeated by state Attorney General Phil Weiser. Weiser captured 55 percent of the vote to Bennet’s 45 percent. 

Bennet began the race as the front runner thanks to his three high-profile Senate bids and national fundraising network. But Weiser outflanked the senator by casting himself as the more anti-Trump candidate. Reps. Brittany Pettersen, Jason Crow and Joe Neguse must also be disappointed considering no one will be appointed by Bennet to the Senate seat.

Meanwhile, Republicans may have avoided their worst-case scenario as state Sen. Barb Kirkmeyer (41 percent) narrowly leads ministry leader Victor Marx (39 percent) with state Rep. Scott Bottoms in third (20 percent). Republicans had fretted that Marx, who was unable or unwilling to admit how many people he’d killed in what will go down as one of the strangest interviews in election history, could have been a drag on the GOP ticket. However, Kirkmeyer would still be a considerable underdog against Weiser in November. Solid Democratic.

1st District (Denver) Diana DeGette, D, re-elected 77%. Harris 77%. Fresh off of primary victories last week in New York where candidates backed by democratic socialist Mayor Zohran Mamdani unseated Reps. Dan Goldman and Adriano Espalliat, progressives appear to have defeated another long-time incumbent. DeGette, who has served in Congress since 1997, trails Melat Kiros, a democratic socialist activist and attorney, 49-44 percent with 73 percent of the estimated vote counted. If she prevails in the primary in this deep-blue district, Kiros is virtually guaranteed to be a member of Congress come January. Solid Democratic.

3rd District (Pueblo area and Western Slope) Jeff Hurd, R, elected 51%. Trump 54%. Hurd had quite the tumultuous primary en route to a 68-32 percent victory in a rematch against former state Rep. Ron Hanks. Earlier this year, President Trump endorsed former state party vice-chairwoman Hope Scheppelman over the first-term congressman after he voted against Trump’s tariffs on Canada. This set off a lobbying campaign from Speaker Mike Johnson and Republicans concerned that nominating Scheppelman could put the seat in jeopardy in November. Trump ultimately re-endorsed Hurd and enticed Scheppelman to drop out with an offer of administration positions for her and her husband. 

Democratic voters nominated former Army Ranger and Aspen City Councilman Dwayne Romero. Hurd only won by 5 points in 2024. But he was massively outspent in that race by Democrat Adam Frisch, who benefitted from being able to raise money against Lauren Boebert for three years before the congresswoman decamped to the 4th District. It’s a different story for Hurd this cycle: he reported $1.6 million in cash on hand to Romero’s $371,000 in mid-June. Likely Republican.

4th District (Eastern Colorado and Denver exurbs) Lauren Boebert, R, re-elected 54%. Trump 58%. Two years after moving from the more competitive 3rd District to win re-election over a crowded primary field, Boebert faced no opposition in her primary this time. Earlier this year, Trump suggested that someone run against her after she campaigned for Kentucky Rep. Thomas Massie, but the filing deadline had already passed. Democrats have a credible challenger in retired Rear Admiral Eileen Laubacher, who was also unopposed in her primary and raised nearly $10 million as of May 10. But it’s a tough district, even against a chronic underperformer like Boebert and in a good Democratic environment. Solid Republican.

5th District (Colorado Springs area) Jeff Crank, R, elected 55%. Trump 53%. Former Army captain and chief of staff to Doug Emhoff Jessica Killin won the Democratic primary and will face Crank in November. Killin defeated Army veteran Joe Reagan, 63-37 percent. Having already put her on the DCCC’s Red to Blue program, national Democrats believe that Killin can make this blue-trending district competitive this year. Likely Republican.

8th District (Northern Denver suburbs and Greeley area) Gabe Evans, R, elected 49%. Trump 49.6%. This seat is one of the top targets nationwide for Democrats on their path to a House majority. State Rep. Manny Rutinel will face Evans, who flipped this seat two years ago. Rutinel defeated former state Rep. Shannon Bird, 61-35 percent with 82 percent of the estimated vote counted. While some Democratic strategists preferred Bird because of Rutinel’s progressive reputation, the DCCC did not put its finger on the scale for her like it did in California’s 22nd, Maine’s 2nd or Arizona’s 1st districts. Republicans hope to levy a range of attacks against Rutinel including his activism for animal rights and against fossil fuels. Toss-up. 

Jacob Rubashkin contributed to this analysis.

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As Republicans face down a national environment and unpopular president that imperils their hold on the House — and increasingly, the Senate — the party has looked to gubernatorial races as an opportunity to make the best of an otherwise challenging cycle.

Over the past decade, Democrats have picked up a net of eight governorships. But many of their strongest incumbents, including those who flipped states in 2018 such as Kansas’ Laura Kelly, Michigan’s Gretchen Whitmer, and Wisconsin’s Tony Evers, are headed for the exits. Republicans hope to capitalize on those open…

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Key Democratic primaries dominated the most recent round of voting in Maryland, New York and Utah while South Carolina hosted runoffs on both sides of the aisle. New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani and the Democratic Socialists of America flexed their political muscle in the Empire State in races that will shape the next Congress and Republicans hope will reshape the elections. 

Rather than a national electorate focused on President Donald Trump, the strength of the economy and the direction of the country, GOP strategists will highlight the newest members as the faces and leaders of a Democratic Party that is out of step with the mainstream of the country. Only time will tell whether Republicans are successful in shifting the midterm conversation.

Here’s what happened on Tuesday: 

New York

1st District (Eastern Long Island and north shore of Suffolk County) Nick LaLota, R, re-elected 55%. Trump 54%. Former Army pilot Chris Gallant won the Democratic primary with 63 percent of the vote in a district that begins off the battleground. Solid Republican.

3rd District (Northern Nassau County) Tom Suozzi, D, re-elected 52%. Trump 51%. Suozzi easily beat back a more progressive challenger, 80-20 percent, and will face former state Rep. Mike LiPetri in the fall. LiPetri has a 60-point lead over Air Force veteran Greg Hach in the GOP primary. Lean Democratic.

4th District (Southern Nassau County) Laura Gillen, D, elected 51%. Harris 50%. Hempstead Town Receiver of Taxes Jeanine Driscoll cleared her first hurdle as a congressional candidate, winning the GOP primary with 92 percent of the vote after being picked as a last-minute replacement for former Rep. Anthony D’Esposito. Now she has to raise more money to compete against Gillen. Tilt Democratic.

7th District (Northern Brooklyn and western Queens) Open; Nydia Velazquez, D, not seeking re-election. Harris 72%. State Assemblywoman Clare Valdez, a Democratic Socialist, won the Democratic primary 56-36 percent over Brooklyn Borough President Antonio Reynoso and others, and will be a member of Congress next year. Valdez had support from Mayor Zohran Mamdani while Reynoso was backed by the outgoing congresswoman and state Attorney General Tish James. Solid Democratic.

10th District (Lower Manhattan and northwestern Brooklyn) Open; Dan Goldman, D, lost primary. Harris 79%. Former New York City Comptroller Brad Lander handily defeated the congressman, 66-34 percent, with approximately 90 percent of the estimated vote counted. While it might look like an upset, the outcome wasn’t a surprise. Goldman won his initial primary in 2022 with just 26 percent and has never been a favorite of the party’s progressive wing while Lander has a long political history in the community and had the support from Mayor Zohran Mamdani in this race. Lander will be a member of Congress next year. Solid Democratic. 

12th District (Midtown and Upper East and Upper West sides of Manhattan) Open; Jerry Nadler, not seeking re-election. Harris 81%. State Assemblyman Micah Lasher won the crowded and competitive primary. Lasher, who had the support of the outgoing congressman, finished first with 39 percent followed by Assemblyman Alex Bores (35 percent), John F. Kennedy grandson Jack Kennedy Schlossberg (11 percent), public health expert Nina Schwalbe (7 percent) and anti-Trump attorney George Conway (6 percent). Lasher is coming to Congress next year from one of the most Democratic seats in the country. Solid Democratic.

13th District (Northern Manhattan and western Bronx) Open; Adriano Espaillat, D, lost primary. Harris 79%. Community organizer Darializa Avila Chevalier defeated the congressman, 49-46 percent, with 87 percent of the estimated vote counted. Avila Chevalier, a Democratic Socialist, was one of at least three candidates backed by New York City Zohran Mamdani to prevail on Tuesday. She’ll be a member of Congress next year. Solid Democratic.

17th District (Lower Hudson Valley) Mike Lawler, R, re-elected 52%. Harris 49.9%. Special forces veteran Cait Conley won the Democratic nomination with 51 percent against Rockland County Legislator Beth Davidson (29 percent), Tarrytown Village Trustee Effie Phillips-Staley (16 percent) and others with approximately 72 percent of the estimated vote counted. Conley, who had support from VoteVets, will now face Lawler in one of the most competitive races in the country. Lawler is a rare Republican representing a district where Vice President Kamala Harris finished ahead of President Donald Trump in 2024. Lawler is a savvy politician, but he’s at risk as a member of the party in power at a time when voters are dissatisfied. Toss-up.

21st District (North Country and part of Albany area) Open; Elise Stefanik, R, not seeking re-election. Trump 60%. Sticker Mule CEO Anthony Constantino had Trump’s endorsement and defeated state Assemblyman Robert Smullen, 59-40 percent, in the Republican primary. He’ll face farmer Blake Gendebien, who won the Democratic nomination with 65 percent. This race is not likely to be competitive in November, unless Smullen continues running on the Conservative Party line — Constantino and state Conservative Party Chairman Jerry Kassar are locked in a bitter feud. Solid Republican.

Maryland
5th District (D.C.’s Prince George’s County outer suburbs and southern Maryland) Open; Steny Hoyer, D, not seeking re-election. Harris 58%. State Del. Adrian Boafo won a crowded and expensive Democratic primary to succeed long-time Rep. Steny Hoyer. Boafo was endorsed by Hoyer and had significant support from a pro-cryptocurrency super PAC and AIPAC’s super PAC. With two-thirds of the estimated vote counted, Boafo was first with 32 percent followed by wealthy home health care CEO Quincy Bareebe (18 percent), former Capitol Hill police officer Harry Dunn (14 percent), Prince George’s County Councilwoman Wala Blegay (11 percent), former Prince George’s County Executive Rushern Baker (10 percent),, state Sen. Arthur Ellis (4 percent) and others. Solid Democratic.

6th District (Western Maryland and northwestern D.C. exurbs) April McClain Delaney, D, elected 53%. Harris 51%. McClain Delaney turned back an expensive challenge from former Rep. David Trone by 6 points with 67 percent of the estimated vote counted. The race has been called by the AP. Both candidates spent millions of their own fortunes on the race — Trone has spent at least $150 million running for office over the past decade. Alexis Goldstein, who ran on an anti-data center platform, is capturing 9 percent. Republicans appear on the precipice of nominating perennial candidate and famed Wizards heckler Robin Ficker, who will not win the general election. Solid Democratic.

Governor. Wes Moore (D), elected 2022 (65%). Moore got his preferred GOP opponent in state Del. Dan Cox, who won the GOP primary with 45 percent over indoor soccer team owner Ed Hale. Moore thrashed Cox in 2022 and there’s no reason to believe 2026 will be much different. Solid Democratic.

South Carolina

Governor. Open; Henry McMaster (R), term-limited. State Attorney General Alan Wilson finished well ahead of Lt. Gov. Pam Evette in the GOP runoff and is well-positioned to win in November. Evette finished atop a crowded field in the initial primary with an endorsement from President Donald Trump. But Trump, seeing a potential Evette loss on the horizon, endorsed both candidates ahead of the runoff. Evette becomes the third Trump-endorsed candidate in recent weeks to come up short of nomination, joining Rep. Randy Feenstra in Iowa and Lt. Gov. Burt Jones in Georgia. Wilson, the son of Rep. Joe Wilson, is favored over Democratic state Rep. Jermaine Johnson, in November. Solid Republican.

1st District (Coastal South Carolina and Charleston Suburbs) Open; Nancy Mace R, lost primary for governor. Charleston County Councilor Jenny Costa Honeycutt defeated state Rep. Mark Smith, 54-46 percent, in the GOP primary. This seat was drawn to elect a Republican and it would take a significant Democratic wave to make it competitive, but retired Admiral Nancy Lacore is a strong fundraiser and will try her best after outpacing Hilton Head general counsel Mac Deford, 52-48 percent, in the Democratic primary runoff. Solid Republican.

Utah
1st District (Salt Lake County) Open; Blake Moore, R, running in the 2nd District. Harris 60%. Former Rep. Ben McAdams is probably headed back to Congress after cleaning up in the Democratic primary for this redrawn seat. The onetime Salt Lake County mayor won 60 percent after progressives couldn’t consolidate behind a single opponent. State Sen. Nate Blouin had backing from Vermont Sen. Bernie Sanders and finished in second with 24 percent. Solid Democratic.

2nd District (Northern Utah) Blake Moore, R. Trump 59%. Moore beat state Rep. Karianne Lisonbee, 58-42 percent, in the GOP primary. Lisonbee had support from a number of state legislators and Turning Point Action, and had made her opposition to a proposed data center in the district a major part of her campaign. Solid Republican.

3rd District (Eastern and Southern Utah) Celeste Maloy, R. Trump 60%. Two years after nearly losing her primary, Maloy put up a much stronger performance against former state Rep. Phil Lyman. A last-minute Trump endorsement probably wasn’t even critical for Maloy, who leads, 69-31 percent, with just over half of the vote reporting. Solid Republican.

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Another Tuesday, another set of primary elections as voters in Alabama, Georgia and Oklahoma select nominees for key general election contests. Whether it’s setting the stage for important general election races or places where nominees will be prohibitive favorites, here are some key results.

Alabama Senate. Rep. Barry Moore won the GOP runoff against retired Navy SEAL Jared Hudson, 56-44 percent, and is favored to win in November. It’s been a bumpy path for House members trying to make the jump statewide, but Moore was able to prevail, with help from President Donald Trump’s endorsement. This is the race to succeed GOP Sen. Tommy Tuberville, who is running for governor. Solid Republican.

Georgia Senate. While former Tennessee Volunteers football coach Derek Dooley had the strong backing of Gov. Brian Kemp, President Donald Trump’s 11th hour decision to back Rep. Mike Collins on Sunday may have been the nail in the coffin for the political novice. Collins defeated Dooley 55 percent to 45 percent and is now set to face Democratic Sen. Jon Ossoff in November. This is still a top GOP pickup opportunity, though Ossoff will be difficult to defeat in this political environment. Toss-up.

Georgia Governor. Former Atlanta Mayor Keisha Lance Bottoms avoided a runoff in the Democratic primary last month but Georgia Republicans had to deal with another four weeks of bitter infighting. Ultimately, billionaire health care executive Rick Jackson toppled Trump-backed Lt. Gov. Burt Jones with 53 percent of the vote. Like the Senate primary, this race was thrown a last-minute curveball on Sunday when Gov. Brian Kemp endorsed Jones. The contest became the third-most expensive gubernatorial primary on record, per AdImpact, with Jackson spending more than $100 million of his own money on his campaign. The race is expected to be highly competitive in the fall. Tilt Republican.

Georgia’s 11th District. In a rare Republican primary contest where President Trump declined to weigh in, neurosurgeon John Cowan (65 percent) easily defeated former congressional aide Rob Adkerson (35 percent). Cowan outspent Adkerson, bolstered by $1.6 million he loaned to his campaign. Six years after Cowan lost a GOP primary to Marjorie Taylor Greene in the 14th District, he will be a heavy favorite to succeed outgoing Rep. Barry Loudermilk this November. Solid Republican.

Oklahoma Senate. Rep. Kevin Hern won the GOP primary with nearly 70 percent and is the heavy favorite in the November general election. The race is to succeed Sen. Alan Armstrong, who is filling the remainder of the term of former Sen. Markwayne Mullin, now in Trump’s cabinet. N'Kiyla Thomas (44 percent) looks headed for a runoff with minister and nonprofit leader Jim Priest. A non-incumbent Democrat hasn’t won a Senate race in Oklahoma since 1978. Solid Republican.

Oklahoma Governor. State Attorney General Gentner Drummond (25.7 percent) and former state Sen. Mike Mazzei (25.2 percent) are locked in a close race for the GOP nomination that looks poised to go to an August 25 runoff (Trump had endorsed Mazzei). State Rep. Cyndi Munson won the Democratic primary with 75 percent in a race that some Democrats believe could develop into a sleeper pickup opportunity. Solid Republican.

Oklahoma’s 1st District. State Rep. Mark Tedford (32 percent) and Trump-endorsed pastor Jackson Lahmeyer (26 percent) are advancing to the August runoff. Tulsa School Board Member John Croisant, the Democratic nominee, is the underdog in the general election in the race to succeed Republican Kevin Hern, who is running for the Senate. Solid Republican.

Oklahoma’s 5th District. Ironworker Trey Martin was working with some of the same consultants behind Nebraska independent Dan Osborn, Maine Democrat Graham Platner, and several other blue-collar candidates who have captured national attention. But he lost the Democratic primary, 57-43 percent, to teacher Jena Nelson. GOP Rep. Stephanie Bice is favored to win re-election. Solid Republican.

California’s 14th District Special. Democratic state Sen. Aisha Wahab is moving on to the August 18 special general election. She's at 42 percent in the all-party special primary with 82 percent of the estimated vote counted. The AP hasn't called the second spot yet. BART Board member Melissa Hernandez (17 percent) and attorney Rakhi Singh (13 percent), both Democrats, are currently in second and third place. Democratic Rep. Eric Swalwell resigned from this seat. Solid Democratic.

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Iowa Governor. Democrats officially nominated state Auditor Rob Sand while the GOP race saw a significant upset as businessman…

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Maine Senate. Marine veteran Graham Platner won the Democratic primary after a tumultuous month that included reporting on his sexting with other women while married and accusations of disturbing behavior made by an ex-girlfriend. That Platner won the nomination isn’t a surprise; though Gov. Janet Mills remained on the ballot, she had suspended…

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Votes are still being counted, but there’s plenty of clarity in more than a handful of key contests in the Golden State. 

1st District. Vacant following the death of Doug LaMalfa, R. Harris 54%. State Assemblyman James Gallagher won the special election to replace LaMalfa under the old district lines, avoiding an August 4 runoff and helping shore up the House GOP’s numbers on Capitol Hill ahead of the summer. Gallagher also earned a spot in the fall general election, but that race will take place under different lines and Democratic state Sen.…

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Primary voters in a handful of states went to the polls on Tuesday to select nominees in key races, setting the stage for competitive general election contests or coronating future new members of Congress in solidly Republican or Democratic seats. Here’s a quick rundown of some key results.  

Iowa Senate. Open; Joni Ernst, R, not seeking re-election. State Rep. Josh Turek cruised to victory over state Sen. Zach Wahls, winning 63-37 percent and carrying 96 of 99 counties. Turek, the choice of national Democratic strategists, was boosted by nearly $10 million in outside…

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ATLANTA, GA — It was finally game night. The Battery, an upscale development in suburban Cobb County adjacent to Truist Park, filled up with cars that had braved Atlanta’s infamous rush hour traffic. But the main event wasn’t the Braves: it was the opening round of matchups to decide the political future of the Peach State.

Now one of the nation’s premier swing states, Georgia is set to host competitive general elections for both Senate and governor in November. On Tuesday night, “The ATL” watched returns come in as primary voters decided nominees in key races that have drawn both national attention and millions of dollars in spending.

The Battery is a fitting location for campaigns to gather to learn about their future. The Metro Atlanta suburbs have upended the political dynamics in the state over the past decade, driving Democrats into contention after years in the wilderness. Mitt Romney carried Cobb County with 55 percent of the vote in the 2012 presidential race. Four years later, Donald Trump became the first Republican presidential nominee to lose the county in four decades (the last Democrat to win it was favorite son Jimmy Carter). Since then, the area has only continued to rocket leftward, thanks to an increasingly diversifying electorate and anti-Trump suburbanites.

Across town, at the ballroom at the Hyatt Regency in downtown Atlanta, the clock showed the 7 p.m. poll closing time quickly approaching. Campaign staffers frantically gave instructions to volunteers wearing white “Keisha Lance Bottoms for Governor” t-shirts as they prepared for attendees to arrive. 

Hotel bar employees set up drinks to be sold for $16 each. Michael Jackson’s “P.Y.T.” played in the background. Two employees set up an American flag on the stage. The media stood on press risers in the back of the ballroom, with broadcast reporters packed shoulder to shoulder, receiving updates from control rooms through their earpieces.

The atmosphere in the ballroom was less suspenseful than anticipatory. Bottoms, the former mayor of Atlanta, was the frontrunner to secure the Democratic nomination for governor. As the only person in the race with widespread name recognition, she had held a consistent advantage over her rivals, including former state Sen. Jason Esteves, former DeKalb County CEO Mike Thurmond, and former Republican Lt. Gov. Geoff Duncan.

Bottoms’ home base of Fulton County delayed reporting its results until 11 p.m. after a precinct went into lockdown due to a nearby manhunt. But even without most of Atlanta, Bottoms’ lead over her opponents was large enough for the Associated Press to call the race in her favor at 10:30 p.m.

Even before the race was called, Marcella McCray and Tracy Edgar were already looking toward the general election. The two had spent their Election Day setting up decorations for the event. Edgar, who had phone banked for Bottoms, was optimistic.

“I feel very confident about November. I think people are tired of the old stuff that’s been going on with the other party,” Edgar said. “We’re tired, we’re hungry, some people have lost jobs, people can’t afford gas, everybody’s just tired.”

Edgar wasn’t just tired of 24 years of a Republican in the governor’s mansion. She was also fed up with the onslaught of ads on the other side of the aisle.

“It’s constant. If you can’t run a campaign on positive stuff, then you probably don’t need to be running,” she told Inside Elections.

The race to succeed Republican Gov. Brian Kemp has indeed grown particularly nasty on the GOP side. While Lt. Gov. Burt Jones quickly secured the backing of Trump and was the clear frontrunner over Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger and state Attorney General Chris Carr, the campaign was shaken up when billionaire Rick Jackson entered the race in February. 

The Republicans running statewide had plenty of disagreements — but not, it seems, on the best place to throw a party. Carr, Jackson, and Senate candidate Derek Dooley all held their watch parties at The Battery within walking distance of each other.

On most nights, Coors Banquet Bar is packed with Braves fans adorned with Matt Olson jerseys. Tonight, the uniform was campaign hats and “I Voted” stickers. Carr walked around greeting supporters. A podium in the corner of the room stood ready for him to speak later in the night. 

Fruit platters and charcuterie boards were largely untouched. Of the venue’s many TV screens, only half were tuned to the election results (on Fox News, naturally). The others were following baseball games, including the Braves, who were en route to an 8-4 victory over the Marlins in Miami. 

The scoreboard was less generous to Team Carr. At the moment, he trailed in fourth behind Jones, Jackson, and Raffensperger. Carr and Raffensperger had aligned themselves more closely with the establishment wing of the party; Jones and Jackson had signed on with Trump. It was clear which team was headed to the playoffs. 

Deron Dowhower, a longtime friend of Carr, was frustrated with the way the race had played out. 

“It’s par for the course. It’s just the way it’s done these days, unfortunately,” said Dowhower, who attended high school with Carr in the neighboring suburb of Brookhaven. “The best, the most fit to govern is not the one who wins these days. It’s the one who has the most money, the most eyeballs, the most either disinformation or misinformation.”

It wasn’t difficult to understand who Dowhower was talking about. You could even see him. Carr supporters only had to step out onto the bar’s patio to get a glimpse of the ritzy Omni Hotel towering above them, where billionaire Rick Jackson was holding his campaign’s election night watch party. 

In a packed ballroom on the third floor of the Omni, Jackson’s guests could help themselves to crudités cups and popcorn. But even though the health care executive had spent over $80 million of his own money on his campaign to get there, he wasn’t going all out quite yet: a glass of wine at the cash bar ran $16. 

Inside, the scene was lively as the Jackson campaign maintained a flow of high-profile supporters coming up to the podium, almost as a kind of opening act building up to the big finale. Among them were state House Speaker Pro Tempore Jan Jones and state Insurance Commissioner John King.

King previewed some of the talking points to be used against Bottoms in November regarding her tenure as mayor during Covid-19 and the Black Lives Matter protests.

“We’re ready to show the contrast,” King told Inside Elections. “I can’t wait to run a number of Atlanta police officers to show how they were treated when Keisha was mayor, and how she let the city burn, and now she wants to come back… and burn it again. Is that the strategy?”

After King spoke, the twin big screens flanking the stage lit up with Jackson’s signature campaign music video, “Win Big for Georgia.” While you could be forgiven for thinking the catchy country-pop song was performed by a big star, in reality the song and video, which recount Jackson’s journey from poverty to riches, were generated by AI. “From the hard road to the high road, I know what it takes. When the stakes are on the table, I don’t blink. I don’t break,” the speakers blasted as Jackson’s son Shane took the stage to introduce his father.

The man of the hour walked onto the stage as Strauss’s “Thus Spoke Zarathustra,” the opening fanfare to 2001: A Space Odyssey, blared behind him. In most states, a candidate in second place would not be giving a quasi-victory speech on election night. However, Georgia state law mandates that if no candidate receives a majority of the vote, then a runoff is held. Jackson finished six points behind Jones, but the two are headed to a June 16 runoff.

In his speech, Jackson repeated many of the same lines that had appeared on the campaign trail and in his ads, emphasizing his rise from poverty, his Christian faith, and his outsider status while taking jabs at Jones.

“When we win, President Trump will be a winner. I’ll be President Trump’s favorite governor,” Jackson said. “As governor, I’ll be like Trump, but with a Southern tone.” After he finished, Jackson descended the stage to gladhand supporters.

Just down the street was Dooley, the former University of Tennessee football coach now vying for the GOP Senate nomination. Tomorrow night, Park Bench Battery was set to host karaoke. But on Tuesday it was home to his election watch party.

On one side, a bar lined with drinks, brisket sliders, and chicken satay. On the other, a stage backed by a massive American flag. In the middle, TVs tuned to NBC and the latest episode of “America’s Got Talent” as results slowly crawled in across the bottom of the screen. 

The GOP primary to face Democratic Sen. Jon Ossoff in November pitted Reps. Mike Collins and Buddy Carter against Dooley, the son of the late Georgia coaching legend Vince Dooley and 2002 Georgia congressional candidate Barbara Dooley.

At around 10:00 pm, the entire room’s attention shifted as guests rushed to the front door to greet a new arrival. It was not Dooley. It was Gov. Brian Kemp. 

Holding the hand of First Lady Marty Kemp, he slowly advanced through the venue greeting attendees and taking photos. After circling back around, he took a second to autograph one of Dooley’s campaign signs. 

Dooley had leaned heavily on Kemp’s support throughout his campaign. Kemp frequently accompanied him on the campaign trail, and Kemp’s super PAC ran ads on his behalf. Kemp left national Republicans miffed after he passed on a bid of his own last May, but his support had proven critical to helping Dooley make a runoff with Rep. Collins. 

After an aide came up to test the microphone one final time, Kemp came up to the stage to introduce Dooley, who he called a longtime family friend.

At the podium, Dooley told the crowd that Carter, who represents Coastal Georgia, had called him to concede the race. Dooley emphasized his electability while attacking Collins for being under investigation by the House Ethics Committee and for being vulnerable in the general election.

“Beating Jon Ossoff is not gonna be done by another D.C. politician,” Dooley said. “A vote for Mike Collins is a vote for Jon Ossoff for the next six years, but a vote for me is a vote for new leadership in the U.S. Senate.”

As Dooley concluded, the speakers played him off with James Brown’s “Dooley’s Junkyard Dawgs,” written in 1975 about the elder Dooley’s famous UGA football squad. Though he had been mocked by rivals during the campaign for his less-than-stellar track record on the field compared to his father, tonight he had forced the first game of his political career into overtime. 

Democrats had settled their nominees for Senate and governor, while Republicans were now bracing for a final sprint to decide their candidates on June 16. 

Four weeks left on the clock. Here we go.

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In battleground Georgia, many marquee races of the night proceeded to runoffs to be decided on June 16. While the Peach State is not set to host any competitive House races this fall and any post-Callais redistricting will not take effect until 2028, primary voters selected nominees in a handful of safe open seats as well as a slate of competitive statewide races. 

Another major story took place downballot as Democrat-aligned candidates Miracle Rankin and Jen Jordan lost their bids to unseat two sitting Republican-appointed Supreme Court Justices. The officially nonpartisan races, in which both Rankin and Jordan emphasized their support for abortion rights and were bolstered by superior party turnout, resembled an attempt to replicate the party’s recent successes in Wisconsin. However, even with more voters pulling a Democratic ballot in the primary, Rankin and Jordan fell short.

Senate. Jon Ossoff (D), elected 2020 (51%). In the GOP primary, Rep. Mike Collins finished first with 40 percent and will advance to the runoff while former Tennessee Volunteers football coach Derek Dooley (30 percent) notched the second spot over Rep. Buddy Carter (25 percent). The winner will face Ossoff in November in one of the most expensive Senate races in the country. Dooley leaned on the backing of Gov. Brian Kemp and support from the Atlanta metro region to advance. All three candidates have privately lobbied Trump for his endorsement, though he has declined to endorse in the contest so far. While Republicans started this cycle with high hopes to unseat Ossoff, Kemp’s decision not to run combined with a messy primary now set to extend for another four weeks has diminished the GOP’s chances. Additionally, Ossoff has amassed a sizable war chest for the general election with over $32 million dollars in cash on hand. Tossup.

Governor. Open; Brian Kemp (R), term-limited. In the race for governor, both sides hosted competitive primaries. On the GOP side, Trump-backed Lt. Gov. Burt Jones (38 percent) and health care executive Rick Jackson (33 percent) advanced to a runoff. Though Jones had been the initial frontrunner, Jackson jolted this race with his unexpected entry in February, and the billionaire has since spent more than $80 million of his own money on the campaign. The result was the second time in a row President Trump has failed to clear the field for his preferred gubernatorial candidate in Georgia, after Kemp soundly defeated former Sen. David Perdue four years ago. With the third and fourth place candidates, Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger (15 percent) and state Attorney General Chris Carr (12 percent), hailing from the more establishment wing of the party, Jones faces the tough task of cobbling together a winning coalition in June. The next four weeks of this race are likely to be a continued slugfest between the two rivals.

Meanwhile, the Democratic primary saw former Atlanta Mayor Keisha Lance Bottoms successfully avoid a runoff, notching 56 percent of the vote, far ahead of her closest competitors. Her win was driven by a strong showing in Atlanta proper and with Black voters. While Bottoms is likely to face attacks around her tenure as mayor and decision not to run for a second term, Democrats are hoping that infighting on the Republican side and a favorable national environment will allow them to flip the governor’s mansion for the first time in 28 years. Tilt Republican.

1st District (Coastal Georgia) Open; Buddy Carter, R, running for Senate. Trump 58%. Insurance executive Jim Kingston avoided a runoff in the Republican primary, clinching 52 percent of the vote. His father, Jack Kingston, represented coastal Georgia for 22 years. The younger Kingston’s campaign was buoyed by an endorsement from President Trump in April. He will be the heavy favorite in November to replace Carter. Solid Republican.

9th District (Northeastern Georgia and northeastern Atlanta exurbs) Andrew Clyde, R, re-elected 69%. Trump 67%. Republican Rep. Andrew Clyde (75 percent) fended off a challenge from Gainesville mayor Sam Couvillon (13 percent). Hall County Commissioner Greg Poole finished in third with 12 percent. Couvillon had outraised Clyde and targeted him for the lack of money he brought home to the district. Still, Clyde’s incumbency and the backing of President Trump was more than enough to avoid a runoff. Solid Republican.

10th District (Eastern Atlanta exurbs and Athens) Open; Mike Collins, R, running for Senate. Trump 60%. GOP voters nominated State Rep. Houston Gaines in the race to replace Rep. Mike Collins with 67 percent of the vote. He defeated film executive Ryan Millsap (18 percent), who self-funded his campaign. Gaines was the candidate to beat and further solidified his advantage with an endorsement from President Trump. Solid Republican.

11th District (Northwestern Atlanta suburbs and exurbs) Open; Barry Loudermilk, R, not seeking re-election. Trump 61%. Surgeon John Cowan (43 percent) and former congressional aide Rob Adkerson (22 percent) secured two runoff slots as they vie to succeed outgoing Republican Rep. Barry Loudermilk. Whoever wins the runoff should be a lock to hold this seat in November. Solid Republican.

13th District (Western and southern Atlanta suburbs) Vacant following the death of David Scott, D. Harris 71%. What was set to be one of the Democratic primaries this year centering on generational change was flipped on its head after Rep. David Scott passed away on April 22. Scott had been facing a crowded field of challengers focusing the race on his advanced age and declining health. Now in an open seat race, state Rep. Jasmine Clark finished well ahead with 56 percent.. The separate special election to fill the seat for the remainder of the year will be held on July 28. Marcye Scott, the late Representative’s daughter, is among those running. Clark is not running in the special election. Solid Democratic.

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Early in the cycle, Republicans were determined to gain as many as three House seats in the Buckeye State. But with six months to go before the general election, Republicans might be fortunate to gain a single seat, if any at all.

In Ohio’s 9th District, GOP primary voters selected state Rep. Derek Merrin (43 percent) over state Rep. Josh Williams (26 percent), former ICE deputy director Madison Sheahan (20 percent) and two others. Even though Merrin came within…

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The Inside Elections podcast analyzes congressional, presidential and gubernatorial races in a nonpartisan, data-driven, and accessible way. With a combination of reporting and data, Inside Elections brings valuable context to complex races. Go to InsideElections.com to subscribe to the bi-weekly newsletter through individual subscriptions and group packages that are tailored for association and corporate PACs.

View Article at Inside Elections

Listen to the podcast on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, or Pocket Casts here.

The Inside Elections podcast analyzes congressional, presidential and gubernatorial races in a nonpartisan, data-driven, and accessible way. With a combination of reporting and data, Inside Elections brings valuable context to complex races. Go to InsideElections.com to subscribe to the bi-weekly newsletter through individual subscriptions and group packages that are tailored for association and corporate PACs.

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