Georgia Republican primary delivers mixed results for Trump

Georgia Republicans have delivered mixed results for Donald Trump in the state's primary elections, backing his preferred Senate candidate while rejecting his choice for governor. The results came as four states and the District of Columbia held primaries on Tuesday, adding to a year in which the president's influence has been closely watched in the midterm cycle. In Georgia, the outcome split along two of the state's highest-profile contests and immediately set up new general election matchups.

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In the Senate race, Republican Mike Collins, 58, finished ahead of former football coach Derek Dooley and advanced to face Senator Jon Ossoff in November. Ossoff is the only Senate Democrat running for re-election in a state that Trump won two years ago. Collins, a second-term congressman, has described himself as a "MAGA warrior" and has echoed Trump's false claims that his 2020 election loss in Georgia was rigged.

After his win, Collins thanked family members, supporters and staff, but did not mention the president. The governor's race produced the opposite result for Trump's camp. Healthcare tycoon Rick Jackson, 71, outpaced Lieutenant Governor Burt Jones after spending about $100m of his own money on the campaign and surpassing Jones's backing from the president.

Jackson will now face Democratic nominee and former Atlanta Mayor Keisha Lance Bottoms in November. Trump did not travel to Georgia to campaign with Jones, and he was notably absent from Republicans' remarks after the voting, a contrast with other primary nights when candidates have publicly aligned themselves with him. The Georgia results matter because they are being read as a test of Trump's influence over Republican voters in a state that could help decide control of Congress.

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The outcome of the midterm elections in November will determine which party controls Congress for the final two years of Trump's second term. That gives the Senate race particular weight, with Ossoff seeking another term and Republicans trying to build on a state Trump won in the last presidential cycle. The governor's contest also carries significance because it will shape the state's executive leadership and the broader Republican brand in Georgia.

The primary also fits into a wider pattern in which Trump has remained central to Republican campaigning, even as candidates have sometimes tried to balance loyalty with local appeal. Ossoff has made Trump a focal point of his own campaign, calling him a "national embarrassment" and accusing him of using the presidency to enrich himself and his family. Jackson, meanwhile, spent months comparing himself to Trump, but did so less directly on election night.

Trump later congratulated Jackson on social media, saying he "very successfully campaigned on being 'TRUMP,' and won." What remains unclear is how much the split result will affect Republican strategy in Georgia ahead of November. It is also not yet clear whether the mixed outcome signals a broader shift in Trump's standing with primary voters or simply reflects the different dynamics of the two races. The next major test of his influence is expected in Oklahoma in August, while Georgia's nominees now move into the general election campaign.

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