“Vote for Burt Jones,” Trump said at a May campaign rally. “He’s just an incredible guy who has my complete and total endorsement in the race.”

TRUMP AND KEMP PLAY KINGMAKER AS GEORGIA VOTERS HEAD TO THE POLLS

Jackson’s victory came after he poured at least $100 million of his own fortune into the race, making it the most expensive gubernatorial primary in Georgia history. The contest exposed a divide within the Georgia GOP, with Jones leaning heavily on his experience as lieutenant governor and support from Trump and Kemp, while Jackson cast himself as a political outsider capable of shaking up the status quo. The race grew increasingly bitter in its final weeks, with Jones repeatedly attacking Jackson’s massive self-funding effort.

While Trump suffered a setback in the governor’s race, one of his endorsed candidates fared better elsewhere on the ballot. Rep. Mike Collins (R-GA), who branded himself a “MAGA warrior,” won the Republican Senate runoff and will challenge Sen. Jon Ossoff (D-GA) in November. Still, Collins’s victory was narrower than some Republicans expected, and Trump’s late endorsement makes it difficult to gauge how much credit the president deserves for the outcome.

Janeese Lewis George shows socialism’s popularity

In Washington, D.C., Councilwoman Janeese Lewis George demonstrated the strength of the city’s progressive wing, putting herself on the verge of becoming Washington’s next mayor.

Although the race had not been called as of Wednesday morning, Lewis George held a commanding lead over rival Kenyan McDuffie. Lewis George had captured 52.8% of the vote compared to McDuffie’s 36.6%, while all other candidates remained below 10%, according to the Associated Press.

In the heavily blue district, where former Vice President Kamala Harris won 92.5% of the vote in 2024, the Democratic nominee is widely expected to become the city’s next mayor. Lewis George ran as a progressive reformer, akin to New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani, and campaigned on aggressive action to address housing costs, affordability, and economic inequality. McDuffie, meanwhile, presented himself as a pragmatic centrist and ally of outgoing Mayor Muriel Bowser.

The result suggests progressive candidates continue to have significant appeal in deep-blue urban strongholds, even as centrist Democrats remain competitive elsewhere around the country.

In a separate election, Robert White won the Democratic primary for the district’s delegate seat with 63.2% of the vote. White is poised to become the district’s first new congressional delegate in more than three decades, succeeding longtime Del. Eleanor Holmes Norton.

Trump’s picks advance elsewhere

Not all of Trump’s preferred candidates struggled Tuesday.

In Alabama, Trump-endorsed Rep. Barry Moore (R-AL) won his Senate runoff election with 55.8% of the vote after the Associated Press called the race. Trump backed Moore in January, but the endorsement was not enough to secure an outright primary victory in May. Alabama Attorney General Steve Marshall captured nearly a quarter of the vote, forcing the runoff and demonstrating some resistance within the Republican electorate. Moore also benefited from millions of dollars in outside spending from a pro-cryptocurrency super PAC.

In Oklahoma, Trump’s endorsed candidates advanced, but unfinished business remained.

Rep. Kevin Hern (R-OK) won the Republican Senate primary and is expected to prevail in November in the deeply Republican state. Hern, who was endorsed by Trump, emerged from a crowded field seeking to replace Markwayne Mullin, who left the chamber earlier this year to become homeland security secretary.

Meanwhile, Trump-backed pastor Jackson Lahmeyer advanced in his race but received fewer votes than state Rep. Mark Tedford, who earned 32.2% of the vote, while Lahmeyer received only 25.9%. The two will compete in a runoff election on Aug. 25.

Eric Swalwell’s replacement election goes to runoff

California state Sen. Aisha Wahab advanced Tuesday in the special election to replace former Rep. Eric Swalwell in California’s 14th Congressional District.

Under California election law, a candidate must receive more than 50% of the vote to win outright. Complete but unofficial results showed Wahab receiving 45,380 votes, or 42.4%, according to the Alameda County Registrar of Voters, forcing a runoff.

The special election was triggered after Swalwell resigned from Congress in April while launching a bid for governor. His departure came amid allegations of sexual assault, which he has denied.

Eric Swalwell to resign from Congress after sexual assault accusations

“I am deeply sorry to my family, staff, and constituents for mistakes in judgment I’ve made in my past. I will fight the serious, false allegation made against me,” Swalwell said in a statement posted to X. “However, I must take responsibility and ownership for the mistakes I did make.”

Wahab’s advancement sets up a closely watched runoff in a district that remains safely Democratic but has become a focal point in California’s rapidly evolving political landscape.