Voters went to the polls Tuesday in Alabama, Oklahoma, and Georgia for primary runoffs that will settle Republican nominations for Senate and governor races. The contests are the latest gauge of former President Donald Trump’s influence over the Republican Party, The Guardian reported.
In Georgia, Republicans are finalizing their choices for both Senate and governor. For the Senate, U.S. Rep. Mike Collins and former University of Tennessee football coach Derek Dooley are the runoff finalists. The winner will face incumbent Democratic Sen. Jon Ossoff, a rising national Democratic figure, in the November general election.
The Georgia governor’s race features Trump-backed state Sen. Burt Jones against Rick Jackson, a healthcare billionaire and political newcomer. Brad Raffensperger, the Georgia secretary of state and a longtime Trump adversary, finished third in the earlier primary and was eliminated from the runoff.
In Oklahoma, U.S. Rep. Kevin Hern has Trump’s early endorsement for the Senate seat previously held by Markwayne Mullin, who left to become homeland security secretary. Oklahoma has not elected a Democratic senator since 1990, according to The Guardian. The governor’s race to succeed outgoing Republican Gov. Kevin Stitt is a crowded field and may provide a more competitive test of Trump’s influence.
In Alabama, former U.S. Rep. Barry Moore, who has Trump’s backing, is running against Jared Hudson in the Republican Senate primary runoff. The outcome will measure how far Trump’s endorsement carries in a deeply Republican state.
Also Tuesday, voters in Washington D.C., a Democratic stronghold, were selecting a Democratic mayoral candidate ahead of November’s general election, The Guardian reported.