{"id":2604936,"date":"2026-05-20T09:36:02","date_gmt":"2026-05-20T13:36:02","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/what-you-missed-from-last-nights-primaries\/"},"modified":"2026-05-20T09:37:17","modified_gmt":"2026-05-20T13:37:17","slug":"what-you-missed-from-last-nights-primaries","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/what-you-missed-from-last-nights-primaries\/","title":{"rendered":"What you missed from last night&#8217;s primaries"},"content":{"rendered":"<aside class=\"mashsb-container mashsb-main mashsb-stretched\"><div class=\"mashsb-box\"><div class=\"mashsb-count mash-medium\" style=\"&quot;\"><div class=\"counts mashsbcount\">14<\/div><span class=\"mashsb-sharetext\">SHARES<\/span><\/div><div class=\"mashsb-buttons\"><a class=\"mashicon-facebook mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/sharer.php?u=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.conservativenewsdaily.net%2Fbreaking-news%2Fwhat-you-missed-from-last-nights-primaries%2F\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Facebook<\/span><\/a><a class=\"mashicon-twitter mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/intent\/tweet?text=&amp;url=https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/?p=2604936&amp;via=ConservNewsDly\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Twitter<\/span><\/a><a class=\"mashicon-subscribe mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"#\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Subscribe<\/span><\/a><div class=\"onoffswitch2 mash-medium mashsb-noshadow\" style=\"display:none\"><\/div><\/div>\n            <\/div>\n                <div style=\"clear:both\"><\/div><\/aside>\n            <!-- Share buttons by mashshare.net - Version: 4.0.47--><p>Tuesday\u2019s primaries featured several major developments with potential implications for the midterms, highlighted by <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/bidens-ability-to-get-democrats-on-same-page-in-legislative-fights-scrutinized\/\" title=\"Biden&#039;s ability to get ... on same page in legislative fights scrutinized\">high-stakes fights<\/a> both within parties and around President Donald Trump\u2019s influence.<\/p>\n<p>In **Kentucky**, Trump-backed efforts culminated in the defeat of incumbent Rep. **Thomas Massie** (R-KY) in the 4th District. despite Massie\u2019s earlier strength and heavy fundraising, he lost by about 10%, with pro-Israel donors reportedly helping create an advantage for his opponent, **Ed Gallrein**. The race further underscored the limits of online right-wing challengers to Trump\u2019s dominance. Separately, **Sen.Mitch McConnell\u2019s** political influence appeared to fade as pro-Trump Rep. **Andy Barr** won and is positioned to replace McConnell.<\/p>\n<p>In **Georgia**,Democrats showed **stronger primary turnout** in the gubernatorial race than Republicans,signaling high enthusiasm. **Keisha Lance Bottoms** won the Democratic nomination outright. On the Republican side, **Burt Jones** and **Rick Jackson** advanced to a runoff, while trump\u2019s. mayor and allies notched further wins, and **Brad Raffensperger** was badly defeated. In the Republican Senate primary, **Mike Collins** and **Derek Dooley** also reached a runoff.<\/p>\n<p>In **Pennsylvania**, a **\u201cSquad\u201d-aligned progressive**, **Chris Rabb**, beat establishment-backed Democratic **Sharif Street** in the 3rd Congressional District. Rabb won convincingly, reflecting leftward momentum within a district that leans heavily Democratic, and the defeat dealt a blow to Philadelphia\u2019s political establishment.  <\/p>\n<p class=\"readmore\">\n    <button onclick=\"showReadMore()\" id=\"readmorebtn\">Read more&#8230;<\/button>\n<\/p>\n<hr id=\"line\">\n<span id=\"more\"><\/p>\n<article class=\"fn-body\">\n<p>Tuesday\u2019s <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/tag\/primaries\/\" type=\"post_tag\" id=\"2655\">primaries<\/a> saw several major developments of national significance, some of which may help shape the dynamics of the midterm elections.<\/p>\n<p>Some of the most consequential primary elections took place on Tuesday, with some decided decisively and others going to runoffs.<\/p>\n<section class=\"explore-more-section\" id=\"wex-recommended-widget\">\n<div class=\"magazine-container single\">\n<h1 class=\"magazine-title mt-2\">Recommended Stories<\/h1>\n<p>             <i class=\"fa-solid fa-play icon\"><\/i>         <\/div>\n<div class=\"explore-grid\">\n<div class=\"explore-card\">                         <a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/news\/campaigns\/4575306\/trump-burt-jones-rick-jackson-runoff-georgia-gop-governor-race\/?itm_source=parsely-api\">                             <\/p>\n<div class=\"explore-thumb-wrap\">                                                                                                                                  <\/div>\n<h3>Trump-backed Burt Jones and Rick Jackson head to Georgia GOP governor runoff<\/h3>\n<p>                         <\/a>                     <\/div>\n<div class=\"explore-card\">                         <a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/sports\/4575304\/naacp-call-black-student-boycott-southern-college-sport\/?itm_source=parsely-api\">                             <\/p>\n<div class=\"explore-thumb-wrap\">                                                                                                                                  <\/div>\n<h3>NAACP calls for Black students to boycott Southern college sports<\/h3>\n<p>                         <\/a>                     <\/div>\n<div class=\"explore-card\">                         <a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/news\/campaigns\/4574148\/nancy-pelosi-endorses-connie-chan-congress\/?itm_source=parsely-api\">                             <\/p>\n<div class=\"explore-thumb-wrap\">                                                                                                                                  <\/div>\n<h3>Pelosi endorses Connie Chan to succeed her in Congress<\/h3>\n<p>                         <\/a>                     <\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/section>\n<p>Here\u2019s everything you missed from Tuesday night:<\/p>\n<div class=\"article-paywall\">\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"h-kentucky-massie-ousted\">Kentucky: Massie ousted<\/h2>\n<p>In one of the greatest tests of President <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/tag\/donald-trump\/\" type=\"post_tag\" id=\"4\">Donald Trump\u2019s<\/a> hold over the <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/tag\/republicans\/\" type=\"post_tag\" id=\"240\">Republican<\/a> Party, the president once again emerged on top. After falling out with Rep. <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/tag\/thomas-massie\/\" type=\"post_tag\" id=\"17668\">Thomas Massie<\/a> (R-KY) last year, Trump began devoting resources to ousting the libertarian Republican, who has occupied Kentucky\u2019s 4th District since 2012.<\/p>\n<p>Ousting Massie was no easy task. The Kentucky Republican had won nearly all his previous primary and general elections overwhelmingly, and he was previously popular in his district. Polls had him well ahead of his Trump-endorsed rival, former Navy SEAL Captain Ed Gallrein, until relatively recently. Massie\u2019s frequent criticism of Israel won him the support of many online right-wing influencers who see themselves as the true inheritors of the MAGA movement, and some mobilized to support the incumbent.<\/p>\n<p><strong><a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/news\/campaigns\/4574164\/thomas-massie-race-sets-house-primary-spending-record\/\">THOMAS MASSIE RACE SETS HOUSE PRIMARY SPENDING RECORD<\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n<p>All came to naught for the defiant Republican, as he was resoundingly defeated on Tuesday by 10%. Massie and Gallrein mobilized extensive financial support, which broke the <a href=\"https:\/\/amzn.to\/3YuVZYV\" >primary spending record<\/a>, but the intervention of pro-Israel donors against Massie helped give the latter a <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/the-most-vulnerable-incumbents-of-2026\/\" title=\"The most vulnerable incumbents of 2026\">clear financial edge<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p>Massie conceded defeat Tuesday night in a <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/news\/campaigns\/congressional\/4575742\/massie-trump-ballroom-concession-speech\/\" type=\"link\" id=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/news\/campaigns\/congressional\/4575742\/massie-trump-ballroom-concession-speech\/\">bitter speech<\/a>, suggesting that Gallrein was controlled by Israel, bashing Trump\u2019s ballroom, and finding a silver lining by claiming the race had delayed the resumption of the war with Iran.<\/p>\n<p>Along with solidifying Trump\u2019s stranglehold on the party, Massie\u2019s defeat served as a brutal reality check for online right-wing influencers who have tried to flank Trump from the right, led by the likes of Tucker Carlson. Their inability to wield their online influence in a real-life race illustrated the limit of their influence within Trump\u2019s Republican Party.<\/p>\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"h-kentucky-mcconnell-gets-a-pro-trump-successor\">Kentucky: McConnell gets a pro-Trump successor<\/h2>\n<p>Sen. <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/tag\/mitch-mcconnell\/\" type=\"post_tag\" id=\"436\">Mitch McConnell<\/a> (R-KY) is approaching the end of his congressional career, having announced his retirement following criticism of his age. Serving as the center of the old Republican establishment throughout the entire Trump era, his career ends with a final humiliation \u2014 his replacement by a vocally pro-Trump figure.<\/p>\n<p>Rep. <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/tag\/andy-barr\/\" type=\"post_tag\" id=\"5085\">Andy Barr <\/a>(R-KY) had maneuvered his way to victory by securing Trump\u2019s coveted endorsement over Nate Morris, a pro-Trump businessman who won the last political endorsement of late conservative activist Charlie Kirk before he was killed in September. After securing the endorsement and Morris\u2019s bowing out from the race, Barr only had to face off against former Kentucky Attorney General Daniel Cameron, widely viewed as McConnell\u2019s protege.<\/p>\n<p>Tuesday signaled the effective end of McConnell\u2019s influence. Barr crushed the outgoing senator\u2019s protege by nearly 30%. His victory in the general election in November is effectively guaranteed.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cMr. President, thank you for your powerful support. I look forward to fighting alongside you to advance our America First agenda and deliver for Kentucky in the United States Senate,\u201d Barr said in his victory speech on Tuesday night.<\/p>\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"h-georgia-democrats-see-high-turnout-and-brian-kemp-s-pick-makes-it-to-runoff\">Georgia: Democrats see high turnout, and Brian Kemp\u2019s pick makes it to runoff<\/h2>\n<p>Georgia\u2019s primary races saw three notable developments \u2014 high Democratic primary turnout in the gubernatorial race, another defeat of a Trump foe, and Gov. Brian Kemp\u2019s (R-GA) Senate pick making it to a runoff.<\/p>\n<p>Former <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"http:\/\/washingtonexaminer.com\/tag\/atlanta\">Atlanta<\/a> Mayor Keisha Lance Bottoms won the Democratic nomination resoundingly, avoiding a runoff after seizing over 56% of the vote. Her rivals split the remainder, with former Georgia state Sen. Jason Esteves taking nearly 19% and state Rep. Michael Thurmond, who took about 13%.<\/p>\n<p>Lance Bottoms won through better name recognition and a plethora of major endorsements, including former President Joe Biden\u2019s first post-presidency endorsement.<\/p>\n<p>More notably, the Democratic gubernatorial primary boasted higher turnout than the Republican: Nearly 1.1 million voters showed up for the Democratic primary, compared to under 950,000 for Republicans. Optimistic Democrats are sure to view this as a sign of higher enthusiasm in the purple state.<\/p>\n<p>On the Republican side, Trump claimed another scalp in the gubernatorial primary as two Trump-aligned candidates made it to a runoff, while his foe was defeated. Lt. Gov. Burt Jones got 38.4% of the vote, while healthcare executive Rick Jackson got 32.5%, with about 99% of expected votes in. Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger, known nationally for clashing with Trump over the 2020 election, was crushed with just 15% of the vote.<\/p>\n<p>In the Republican Senate primary, meanwhile, Rep. Mike Collins (R-GA) got 40.5% of the vote while the Kemp-backed former Tennessee football coach Derek Dooley got 30.2%, sending them to a runoff. <\/p>\n<p><strong><a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/news\/campaigns\/congressional\/4575268\/kentucky-4th-congressional-district-primary-thomas-massie-ed-gallrein\/\" type=\"post\" id=\"4575268\">TRUMP-BACKED ED GALLREIN DEFEATS THOMAS MASSIE IN KENTUCKY<\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"h-pennsylvania-squad-backed-progressive-defeats-establishment\">Pennsylvania: \u2018Squad\u2019-backed progressive defeats establishment<\/h2>\n<p>Pennsylvania\u2019s 3rd Congressional District, including Philadelphia, is the bluest district in the country, so primary battles serve as a gauge of the ideological currents within the party. On Tuesday, Democratic state Rep. Chris Rabb defeated Democratic state Sen. Sharif Street, marking a major victory for the left wing of the party and a stunning defeat for Philadelphia\u2019s political machine.<\/p>\n<p>Street, hailing from a prominent Philadelphia political family, was previously chairman of the state\u2019s Democratic Party. He served as the face of the Democratic establishment in the race and likewise earned the support of the city\u2019s political machine.<\/p>\n<p>This support failed to hand him victory, however, as he received just 29.5% of the vote compared to Rabb\u2019s 44.3%, with 92.2% of the vote counted.<\/p>\n<p>Rabb is now set to cruise his way to Congress in a seat Republicans hardly bother with.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/article>\n<p><\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Tuesday primaries brought key national shifts, influencing midterms<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2653,"featured_media":2604937,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_mo_disable_npp":"","fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/AP26140015301634.jpg?w=696","fifu_image_alt":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[538],"tags":[39125,47587,34069,33017,79991],"class_list":["post-2604936","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-washington-examiner","tag-campaign-updates","tag-election-highlights","tag-election-news","tag-political-analysis","tag-primaries-recap"],"fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/AP26140015301634.jpg?w=696","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2604936","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2653"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=2604936"}],"version-history":[{"count":3,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2604936\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":2604940,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2604936\/revisions\/2604940"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/2604937"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=2604936"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=2604936"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=2604936"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}