Georgia Republican voters dealt President Trump a primary loss Tuesday, June 17, rejecting his hand-picked candidate in the competitive open governor’s race — an outcome NPR called an upset.
On the Senate side, Rep. Mike Collins won his Republican primary and will face Democratic incumbent Sen. Jon Ossoff in November. Ossoff is among the most targeted Senate Democrats this cycle, and Collins’ nomination sets up one of the higher-profile general-election matchups of 2026.
NPR did not immediately name Trump’s rejected gubernatorial pick or identify the Republican field in that race. The governor’s seat is open — no Democratic incumbent is defending it — which made the Republican primary the race most likely to determine the outcome in November.
Collins’ path through his primary was smoother than the governor’s contest, but the two results together complicate Trump’s direct-intervention strategy in Georgia. He went two for two in backing primary candidates; he went at least one for two in seeing them win.
Whether Trump will actively campaign for Collins against Ossoff hasn’t been announced.
Reported by NPR. Read the original report.
