Georgia Republicans moved immediately toward June 16 runoffs after Tuesday’s primary failed to produce Republican winners outright in the battleground state for both the governor’s race and the party’s nomination for U.S. Senate. The GOP candidates for those top-ticket nominations will now spend about a month competing for runoff support before facing their Democratic general-election opponents, with the U.S. Senate contest set to be closely watched for what it could mean for Capitol Hill control.
The Republican Senate nomination runoff will pit former college football coach Derek Dooley against Rep. Mike Collins. Rep. Buddy Carter was eliminated after Tuesday’s primary, leaving Dooley and Collins as the final two in a contest that AP described as among the most closely followed in this year’s midterms. The winner of that runoff is set to face Democratic Sen. Jon Ossoff, who had no opponent in the primary and is seeking reelection.
On the Democratic side for governor, Democratic Rep. Keisha Lance Bottoms clinched the nomination on Tuesday. AP said Bottoms hopes to become the first Democrat to win a Georgia governor’s race since 1998, and she received an endorsement from former President Joe Biden after serving in his administration. In remarks the night of the primary, Bottoms said she wanted to ensure “every Georgian has an opportunity to succeed.”
Republicans also extended a bruising and expensive primary fight for governor into a runoff between Lt. Gov. Burt Jones and healthcare billionaire Rick Jackson. With about a month to go until the runoff, AP said Republicans will continue competing among themselves before turning their attention to Democratic opponents in key races. In the governor matchup, AP said Jones advanced with support framed around his conservative record in Georgia and with Trump’s endorsement, while Jackson’s campaign pursued an outsider pitch against what it characterized as political insiders.
The Senate race itself is also shaped by how the candidates position themselves within the Republican field. AP said the Republican primary has tested fealty to President Donald Trump, who did not endorse a candidate in the race. Collins, Dooley and Carter, AP reported, each said they would be the best person to advance Trump’s agenda in Washington.
AP also reported that Collins faced attacks during the primary over a House ethics complaint accusing him of abusing taxpayer funds by paying the girlfriend of a top aide for work that she allegedly didn’t perform. The Office of Congressional Conduct, after an initial inquiry, referred the matter to the House Ethics Committee, according to AP. In a debate, Carter questioned Collins on whether taxpayers could trust him as a senator, while Collins responded with remarks that targeted Carter’s views of polling.
Another issue that AP tied to the Senate contest is immigration policy. AP said Collins sponsored the Laken Riley Act, a 2025 law that requires immigrants to be detained when charged with certain crimes, and that Republicans believe the issue could complicate Ossoff’s position because he initially voted against the measure before supporting it later. AP also reported Collins’ argument that Republicans could replace a Democrat with “an actual conservative,” delivered on Tuesday night.
Spending and advertising have been high in the governor race. AP said more than $125 million has been spent on advertising in the Republican primary for governor, including more than $66 million from Jackson’s campaign, based on latest figures from ad-tracking firm AdImpact. AP contrasted that with Democrats running for governor, which it said had spent about $4 million.
After Tuesday’s results, Jones framed his advance as a reflection of Georgia’s choice, saying at his election night party that “Georgia just spoke, y’all,” and thanking President Donald J. Trump. Jackson, AP reported, emphasized a different message, calling Jones a political insider who is “working inside the system for his own benefit,” and saying, “I cannot be bought, and I will not back down.”
Beyond the top races, AP reported results in other parts of Georgia’s election landscape. It said Democrat Jasmine Clark won the nomination for Georgia’s 13th Congressional District seat after Rep. David Scott died in April while seeking another term, and that Clark is a state representative, microbiologist and a lecturer at Emory University. AP also said Clark’s candidacy was boosted by more than $2 million in outside spending by cryptocurrency interests, while Clark said she did not court that support.
In addition, AP reported Republican runoff developments in the 10th District and elsewhere, including that staffer Rob Adkerson advanced to a runoff against neurologist John Cowan in the 11th District after Loudermilk announced retirement and endorsed Adkerson. AP also said that in judicial races, Democrats fell short in defeating incumbent justices on Tuesday, with the Judicial Qualifications Commission issuing statements that it said were based on complaints that candidates violated rules of judicial conduct.