An endorsement from President is worth a lot in Republican primaries. But is it worth more than $100 million in Georgia? Can it propel a congressman past an insurgent outsider in Alabama? Can it transform a candidate into a front-runner in Oklahoma?
Trump has been at the center of this year鈥檚 , and his influence will be tested in different ways Tuesday as four states and the District of Columbia hold primaries.
Among Democrats, the primaries will hinge on longstanding divides between progressives and moderates as the party tries to chart the best path forward to November.
Here’s the latest:
Why Tuesday鈥檚 elections in Washington DC matter
Voters in the nation鈥檚 capital are for mayor and the district鈥檚 delegate to Congress.
Mayor Muriel Bowser, who isn鈥檛 seeking reelection, has walked a fine line between staying in Trump鈥檚 good graces and responding to the concerns of constituents, many of whom said she didn鈥檛 push back hard enough on Trump鈥檚 actions.
The district鈥檚 long-serving congressional delegate, , is also stepping down.
The election is taking place under the Trump administration.
Washington has limited autonomy and federal leaders retain significant control over local affairs, including the approval of the budget and laws passed by the D.C. Council.
In Georgia, Trump鈥檚 endorsements reflect his fixation on 2020
In 2020, a Georgia state senator named Burt Jones was part of Donald Trump鈥檚 alternate Electoral College slate and backed the president鈥檚 scheme to overturn his loss to Democrat Joe Biden.
Trump has referenced Jones鈥� 鈥渓oyalty鈥� many times since, including when endorsing his bid for governor. Jones, now the lieutenant governor, faces billionaire businessman Rick Jackson in a Tuesday runoff for the Republican nomination.
鈥淏urt was strongly committed to my Campaign in 2016, 2020, and 2024, and worked tirelessly to help us WIN,鈥� Trump wrote on Truth Social on the eve of the runoff. 鈥淗e has been with us from the very beginning.鈥�
A day earlier, Trump endorsed Rep. Mike Collins in a Senate runoff over former football coach Derek Dooley. The president chided Dooley for saying (months ago and not as a feature of his campaign) that Trump did indeed lose Georgia in 2020.
Collins, meanwhile, has consistently echoed Trump鈥檚 false claims of a 鈥渞igged鈥� election.
Alabama GOP primary is latest test of Trump鈥檚 endorsements
The president鈥檚 endorsed candidates have mostly done well so far in the midterm primaries. But the open U.S. Senate race in Alabama will be another test of his endorsement power.
U.S. Rep. Barry Moore, a three-term congressman, faces former Navy SEAL Jared Hudson in the GOP runoff. Trump endorsed Moore early in the campaign, but he’s been forced into a heated race with Hudson, a political newcomer.
Hudson, borrowing a page from Trump鈥檚 original playbook, has tried to depict Moore as a political insider and has urged voters to send an outsider to Washington.
Trump held a telephone rally for Moore last week.
The candidates are seeking the Senate seat being vacated by Republican Sen. Tommy Tuberville, who’s running for governor. The winner will face the Democratic nominee in November.
2 open races set off a political scramble in heavily Republican Oklahoma
GOP Gov. Kevin Stitt is term-limited, and former U.S. Sen. Markwayne Mullin vacated his seat to replace as Homeland Security secretary.
, an energy executive, is filling the U.S. Senate seat for now, but state law prohibits him from seeking a full term as an interim appointee.
Rep. Kevin Hern, a four-term congressman endorsed by Trump, is running against four other candidates of lesser profile in the Republican Senate primary.
The GOP primary for governor is more crowded, with nine names on the ballot, including several prominent Republicans. That could lead to an Aug. 25 runoff if no candidate receives at least 50% of the vote to win outright.
California special election will fill former Rep. Eric Swalwell鈥檚 term after his resignation
The Democrat stepped down in April following that he sexually assaulted a woman twice, including when she worked for him, and other accusations of sexual misconduct.
Swalwell was a leading candidate for California governor at the time and dropped out of the race the same month. He has denied the allegations and said he will defend himself.
The San Francisco Chronicle first reported that a woman accused Swalwell of sexually assaulting her in 2019 and again in 2024. She told the outlet that she had been too intoxicated to consent.
Runoffs will decide GOP nominees for Senate and governor in Georgia
Tuesday鈥檚 elections are needed after no Republican won a majority to clinch the nominations in .
In the Senate race, Rep. Mike Collins, a second-term congressman who calls himself a 鈥淢AGA warrior,鈥� and Derek Dooley, a first-time candidate and former football coach, are facing off. The winner will try to oust Democratic Sen. Jon Ossoff in a key November contest. on Sunday.
The primary for governor pits Lt. Gov. Burt Jones against billionaire Rick Jackson. Trump endorsed Jones last August. The winner will face Democrat Keisha Lance Bottoms, the former mayor of Atlanta, in November.
Polls now open in Washington, DC
Voting is underway in one of the city鈥檚 most consequential primaries in a generation.
Democrats in the nation鈥檚 capital have not had a chance to vote for a new mayor and new delegate to Congress in the same election since 1990, when gas was cheaper than $1.35 a gallon and George H.W. Bush was president.
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