US primaries in Oklahoma, Georgia, others: Key takeaways from the results

SaveSharefacebookxwhatsapp-strokecopylinkRepublican gubernatorial candidate Rick Jackson holds his hand over his heart as he takes the stage at his election night watch party on May 19, 2026 in Atlanta, Georgia [Elijah Nouvelage/AFP]By Al Jazeera Staff and The Associated PressPublished On 17 Jun 202617 Jun 2026Burt Jones, who was endorsed by Donald Trump, has lost in Georgia’s gubernatorial run-off to billionaire Rick Jackson, but candidates backed by the US president secured Senate nominations in Alabama, Georgia and Oklahoma in the primary elections on Tuesday.Voters also decided the party candidates for the congressional race in California and a mayoral primary in Washington, DC, as the United States gears up for November’s midterm elections, seen by some as a referendum on Trump’s second term.Here’s who won and lost the primaries – and how Trump-endorsed candidates fared.Supporters cheer on US Senate Republican candidate Mike Collins (R-GA) during a run-off election night party on June 16, 2026, in Jackson, Georgia [Jessica McGowan/AFP]Who won in Georgia?Georgia attracted a lot of media attention over the fight between Jones and Jackson. Though Trump-backed Jones lost in the governor’s race, voters in the state elected the US president’s pick for the Senate primary.Mike Collins, who was endorsed by Trump just a few days before the ballots were cast, won the Republican Senate run-off in Georgia.Collins is now set to face Democratic Senator Jon Ossoff in what has been touted as one of the most competitive midterm campaigns in the country. Collins defeated Republican Governor Brian Kemp-endorsed Derek Dooley, a former college football coach.In the run-off for governor, Jones lost despite a yearlong endorsement from Trump. The president reiterated his support last week, praising Jones’s “Courage and Wisdom” in a social media post.Jackson had spent at least $100m out of his pocket, as compared with nearly $30m spent by Jones in total, during the campaign.Jackson will now face Democrat Keisha Lance Bottoms, the former Atlanta mayor, in November in another pre-eminent battleground state.Campaign signs are seen at a polling place at the Martin Luther King Jr Memorial Library during the DC primary elections on June 16, 2026, in Washington, DC [Brendan Smialowski/AFP]Who won the Alabama primary?Alabama brought good news for Trump, where he had successfully backed Barry Moore, a three-term congressman who has promised to be “a warrior for President Trump’s ‘America First’ agenda” if elected to the Senate.Moore defeated former Navy SEAL Jared Hudson, who presented himself as a Washington outsider.Alabama is a Republican stronghold, and the GOP primary victor is expected to prevail in November.He will face lawyer Everett Wess, who defeated small business owner Dakarai Larriett in the Democratic run-off.Who won the Oklahoma primaries?Oklahoma’s Republican primary for governor also tested Trump’s endorsement.The president weighed in late, throwing his support two weeks ago to former state Senator Mike Mazzei, without a clear frontrunner in the field.Trump’s choice secured a spot in a run-off on August 25, finishing nearly even with Attorney General Gentner Drummond.In the Senate race, Republican Kevin Hern, who represents Oklahoma’s First Congressional District, outpaced the four other Republican candidates. Hern was endorsed by President Trump and captured 63.7 percent of the vote.Democratic results are yet to be called.Oklahoma voters also rejected much-debated State Question 832, which could have raised the state’s minimum wage from $7.25 to $15 an hour. More than 56 percent of voters opposed it.Supporters cheer on US Senate Republican candidate, Representative Mike Collins (R-GA) during a run-off election night party on June 16, 2026, in Jackson, Georgia [Jessica McGowan/AFP]Who won in California?Voters in California are looking to replace Democrat Eric Swalwell, who resigned from the House and dropped his bid for California governor, after a woman alleged he had sexually assaulted her twice.Democratic state lawmaker Aisha Wahab advanced in the special election in California to replace Representative Swalwell. Wahab, a state senator who focused her campaign message on reducing housing costs, goes on to the August 18 run-off, which will determine who will fill the remainder of Swalwell’s term through January.She is among 11 candidates on the ballot. It was too early to determine who would take the second slot in the August 18 election.Wahab is also competing in the November run-off to determine who will succeed Swalwell for a full two-year term.President Donald Trump stands in the octagon during the UFC Freedom 250 event at the White House South Lawn [Amber Searls/Reuters]How are Trump-backed candidates doing in primaries?This year’s primaries have been a string of wins for Trump-backed Republican candidates in the US.Trump’s endorsement record in gubernatorial primaries has been positive so far, though not without setbacks.Of the 11 candidates he backed in governor’s races, seven have advanced to the general election, two moved on to run-offs, and two were defeated.Before Jones lost the run-off in Georgia, Trump-backed Randy Feenstra failed to secure the Republican nomination in Iowa.Mazzei in Oklahoma and Pamela Evette in South Carolina advanced from their primaries but will need to win another round of voting to secure their party’s nomination.Before them, several candidates won it on Trump’s name: Joe Lombardo in Nevada, Steve Hilton in California, Stacy Garrity in Pennsylvania, Brad Little in Idaho, Tommy Tuberville in Alabama, Jim Pillen in Nebraska, Vivek Ramaswamy in Ohio, and Greg Abbott in Texas all advanced to the general election.