Tuesday’s Georgia primary has been predictably unpredictable. While the Georgia GOP has pulled out wins in certain races, the important races of the state’s chief executive, secretary of state, and the U.S. Senate have ended up in runoffs.
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Governor
Trump-endorsed Lieutenant Governor Burt Jones and healthcare executive Rick Jackson will face each other in a June 16 runoff. Term-limited Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger, whose handling of the 2020 election was troubling and controversial, was divested with the quickness, with less than 15 percent of the vote.
Good riddance to corrupt, election-rigging RINO snake Brad Raffensperger in Georgia, who is currently getting absolutely crushed in the GOP gubernatorial primary. pic.twitter.com/CKr4GJuYPi
— Sean Davis (@seanmdav) May 20, 2026
Secretary of State
This race has also moved into a runoff, with the ghosts of 2020 still lingering.
The Republican and Democratic primaries to become Georgia’s next secretary of state is going to a runoff, CBS News projects.
With no one receiving more than 50% of the vote, Republican state Rep. Tim Fleming and Vernon Jones will face off against each other in June.
Out of the race is Gabriel Sterling, one of current Secretary of State Brad Raffenberger’s top aides and the only candidate who actively defended the state’s 2020 election result.
Fleming has said he believes there were some “irregularities” in 2020, but that “great strides” have been made to address the issues.
Jones, who was elected as a state representative and DeKalb County CEO as a Democrat and then switched parties to become a Republican , is considered a harsh critic of the way the state ran the election, which saw former President Biden narrowly defeat President Trump.
United States Senate
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The Republican U.S. Senate race is queueing up the person who will run against Sen. Jon Ossoff (D) in the general election. Decision Desk HQ projected that Republican Representative Mike Collins (GA-10) and former college football coach Derek Dooley have advanced to the runoff.
Rep. Mike Collins and Derek Dooley have advanced to a runoff in Georgia’s GOP Senate primary.
The matchup sets up a contrast between Collins, aligned with MAGA-style politics, and Dooley, the Kemp-backed former football coach with deeper ties to Georgia’s GOP establishment. https://t.co/RYWlngSINh
— Zachary Donnini (@ZacharyDonnini) May 20, 2026
United States Congress
The majority of the GA U.S. House of Representatives seats were uncontested, so these incumbents automatically moved to the November general election. While other House seats had Republican challengers, the incumbent sailed easily through to the general. In GA 10, the Trump-endorsed state Rep. Houston Gaines won the nomination to replace Collins. GA 1 is also an open seat, as Rep. Buddy Carter ran for the U.S. Senate. Six candidates vied for his seat, with businessman Jim Kingston surpassing other candidates to win the nomination. GA 11 is also an open seat after Rep. Barry Loudermilk chose not to seek reelection. With seven Republican candidates in the race, only Robert Adkerson and Dr. John Cowan advanced to a runoff.
Georgia Supreme Court
These races were also contentious and controversial, with incumbent judges on this non-partisan court being challenged by staunch Democrat activists. This was a preemptive strike by Democrats because of the United States Supreme Court’s decision in Louisiana v. Callais, which placed new constitutional limits on the use of race in drawing congressional districts. Democrats were hoping to pack the court with protectionists in order to ward off redistricting of majority-minority districts.
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Judge Sarah Warren Hawkins was challenged by attorney Jen Jordan, who was backed by the GA Democratic Party. Decision Desk HQ projected that Hawkins held her seat. The race between incumbent judge Charles Bethel and personal injury attorney Miracle Rankin was close, but Decision Desk HQ has projected that the seat will be held by Bethel. Rankin was endorsed by former President Barack Obama.
Decision Desk HQ projects Charlie Bethel wins the GA State Supreme Court Charlie Bethel’s Seat Nonpartisan General Election#DecisionMade: 11:13 PM EDT pic.twitter.com/wimo8lwtWl
— Decision Desk HQ (@DecisionDeskHQ) May 20, 2026
Read More: Judge With Notorious Sister Muzzles Watchdog in GA Supreme Court Race
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The Georgia runoff election is scheduled for June 16, 2026.