Georgia's Republican establishment took a hit Tuesday night as Brad Raffensperger, the state's secretary of state and a persistent Trump critic, finished a distant third in the gubernatorial primary and will not advance to a June runoff.
Lieutenant Governor Burt Jones emerged as the frontrunner and will face healthcare billionaire Rick Jackson in the Republican matchup. Jackson, relatively unknown before the campaign, spent nearly $50 million of his own money on advertising to shake up the race. Jones, backed by Trump, will now defend his position against a wealthy newcomer in what has become one of the most heavily advertised Republican contests in the state.
On the Democratic side, former Atlanta Mayor Keisha Lance Bottoms cleared the field decisively, winning the gubernatorial primary outright without a runoff. Biden's endorsement and strong early polling proved decisive as she pulled away from competitors on election night.
The Senate race also heads to a June runoff. Mike Collins captured the top spot in a crowded Republican primary and will face Derek Dooley, a former University of Tennessee football coach and choice of outgoing Governor Brian Kemp. Democrat Jon Ossoff, who holds the seat, ran unopposed in his primary and enters the general election with over $30 million in campaign funds.
Republican and Democratic candidates combined to spend more than $100 million in the gubernatorial primary alone, with advertising dominating Georgia's television landscape for months. The spending reflects the state's transformed political status. Once a reliably Republican stronghold, Georgia narrowly backed Biden in 2020 and now holds two Democratic senators. The race for governor ranks among the nation's most competitive.
Two Georgia Supreme Court justices secured re-election by defeating Democratic-backed challengers in nonpartisan judicial contests decided on the primary ballot. The court, which has no Democratic members, is currently weighing the constitutionality of a six-week abortion ban. The judicial race received advertising and promotional attention that was historically unusual for Georgia court elections, drawing online engagement and television spending that sometimes overshadowed the gubernatorial campaign.
The Republican-dominated court has faced increasing scrutiny as Georgia's political lean has shifted. Primary elections in the state have historically drawn disproportionate Republican turnout, allowing conservative candidates to dominate judicial races even as the general electorate moves closer to the middle.
Author James Rodriguez: "Raffensperger's elimination says everything about where the Republican base stands on Trump loyalty, and Jackson's ability to bulldoze his way into a runoff with personal wealth just proved that money can still reshape primary politics in a swing state."
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