Trump’s Endorsements Lead To Impressive String of GOP Primary Wins
Tuesday’s primary elections delivered another unmistakable reminder that President Donald J. Trump remains the dominant force inside the Republican Party, with several Trump-backed candidates securing major victories in key Southern races.
The results also set the stage for several closely watched general election battles, as Democrats look for openings in Republican-leaning states while GOP voters continue rallying behind candidates aligned with Trump’s America First agenda.
In Alabama, retiring Sen. Tommy Tuberville captured the Republican nomination for governor, setting up a high-profile November matchup against former Democratic Sen. Doug Jones. Tuberville defeated Jones in Alabama’s 2020 Senate race, and while the Cook Political Report currently rates the contest as solidly Republican, Jones remains one of the few Democrats in recent memory to win statewide office in Alabama. AP also reported that Tuberville won the GOP nomination for governor and will face Jones in the general election.
Jones used his primary victory speech to focus on traditional Democratic economic priorities, including raising the minimum wage and expanding Medicaid.
Tuberville, by contrast, framed the race in sharper ideological terms, saying he would spend the campaign fighting against what he described as “socialism and communism.”
Alabama’s open Senate race also showed the strength of Trump’s endorsement. Rep. Barry Moore, backed by President Trump, finished ahead in the Republican primary and is headed toward a runoff against former Navy SEAL Jared Hudson, according to AP. The eventual Republican nominee is widely expected to enter the general election as the favorite in deep-red Alabama.
In Kentucky, the biggest political earthquake came in the 4th Congressional District, where Trump-backed challenger Ed Gallrein defeated Rep. Thomas Massie after a bitter and expensive primary fight. Axios described the Massie-Gallrein race as the most expensive U.S. House primary in history.
Massie had repeatedly broken with President Trump on major issues, including the Epstein files controversy and the Iran conflict, putting him at odds with much of the Republican base. His defeat sent a clear warning to GOP lawmakers who try to build their brand by opposing the leader of the party’s populist movement.
During his concession speech, Massie took aim at President Trump and several of his allies.
“I got to watch Fox also for the first time in 18 months,” Massie told supporters, “and there was the president talking about, by the way, while gas is almost $5 and diesel’s almost $6, they’re talking about this big ballroom they’re going to build, and … it looks like the Roman Empire, architecture from the Roman Empire. I see a few analogies there.”
Massie’s criticism came despite his own opposition to making President Trump’s first-term tax cuts permanent, a policy that benefited roughly 85 percent of Americans. He also opposed key border security measures supported by the president and many conservative voters.
The Hill added:
Trump-backed Rep. Andy Barr (R-Ky.) won the GOP battle to replace retiring Sen. Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.). On the Democratic side, former state representative Charles Booker beat Amy McGrath, a retired Marine fighter pilot, reversing the outcome from 2020.
Georgia also delivered major primary drama on Tuesday, with voters choosing nominees for both the Senate race and the governor’s mansion. President Trump backed Lt. Gov. Burt Jones in the Republican primary for governor against billionaire Rick Jackson, as term-limited Gov. Brian Kemp prepares to leave office.
Neither Jones nor Jackson secured enough votes to avoid a June 16 runoff, but Jones led Jackson by 6 points. Georgia Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger, who famously defied Trump after the 2020 election, was eliminated.
On the Democratic side, former Atlanta Mayor Keisha Lance Bottoms won the party’s gubernatorial primary after leading most public polling in a crowded field. She now waits to face either Jones or Jackson in November. The Cook Political Report currently rates Georgia’s governor race as a toss-up.
Meanwhile, Sen. Jon Ossoff ran unopposed in the Democratic primary for reelection.
Republican voters also selected former football coach Derek Dooley, backed by Gov. Brian Kemp, and Rep. Mike Collins to advance to a June 16 runoff after neither candidate cleared 50 percent in the Senate primary.
Taken together, Tuesday’s results showed that President Trump’s endorsement still carries enormous weight with Republican voters. In Alabama, Kentucky, and Georgia, the party’s base once again made clear that it wants candidates willing to fight for border security, conservative economic policy, constitutional government, and the America First agenda.