Here's the latest
• All eyes on Georgia: Rep. Mike Collins, who was endorsed by President Donald Trump, will win the GOP primary in the Peach State, CNN projects, and will challenge Sen. Jon Ossoff, a rising Democratic Party star, in November. In the Republican runoff for governor, Trump-backed Lt. Gov. Burt Jones is narrowing the gap with billionaire Rick Jackson. Follow the live results here.
• Alabama race: Meanwhile, the president’s sway is also being tested in Alabama as Trump-backed Rep. Barry Moore is locked in a Senate runoff against former Navy SEAL Jared Hudson.
• Decision time in the District: Voters in the nation’s capital are set to decide who will be the next mayor in a race shaped by what kind of leader and approach Democrats want when it comes to standing up to the Trump administration.
For Ossoff, any talk of 2028 is moot without a fall victory
He’s the only Democratic senator running for reelection in a state President Donald Trump won in 2024.
That fact alone should make Sen. Jon Ossoff of Georgia one of the most endangered incumbents in this year’s midterm elections.
Yet that is getting ahead of things, a point that Ossoff advisers are well aware.
His general election race is now set against Rep. Mike Collins, who was projected Tuesday night to win the Republican runoff race. For any future ambitions to materialize, Ossoff must perform in November in one of the most competitive battleground states in the country.
In short, Ossoff knows his focus must be 2026. A fall defeat would render any 2028 talk moot – something Republicans are mindful of.
He wasted little time Tuesday night by delivering a blistering attack against Collins, calling him “a notorious bigot, antisemite and extremist.” Yet for the next four and a half months, Collins is not only his opponent, but a man who could stand in the way of a political future.
Rep. Kevin Hern will win GOP Senate primary in Oklahoma, CNN projects
Rep. Kevin Hern will win the Republican primary for US Senate in Oklahoma, CNN’s Decision Desk projects.
Hern jumped into the race after former GOP Sen. Markwayne Mullin resigned in March to serve as homeland security secretary following President Donald Trump’s firing of Kristi Noem.
A four-term congressman representing the Tulsa area, Hern established a reputation as a staunch conservative and Trump supporter, signing onto House Republicans’ efforts to contest the 2020 presidential election. He also mounted a short-lived campaign for House speaker in 2023 following the ouster of Kevin McCarthy.
Hern now advances to the general election as a heavy favorite in reliably Republican Oklahoma.
Georgia governor margin shrinks, but so does Jones’ Election Day advantage
Two hours after polls closed in Georgia, the Republican runoff for governor has tightened: Billionaire Rick Jackson leads Lt. Gov. Burt Jones with about 54% of the vote, a drop from the 60% of the vote he had earlier in the evening.
The margin has tightened as more Election Day votes, which have favored Jones, have been reported.
However, Jones’ share of those votes has also been narrowing. He’s now winning about 54% of Election Day votes.
Right now, about 40% of the reported votes were cast on Election Day. CNN estimates that number will be around 60% when the counting is finished.
Nearly all of the early and mail votes have been counted, and Jackson is winning about 60% of those votes.
Democrats call Rep. Mike Collins an "opposition researcher's dream"
Democrats are celebrating Mike Collins’ emergence as the Republican nominee for Senate in Georgia.
Senate Majority PAC is the top Democratic super PAC in Senate races.
Its GOP counterpart, the Senate Leadership Fund, congratulated Collins in a statement and said the Democratic incumbent, Jon Ossoff, is “wildly out of step with Georgia voters.”
Cyndi Munson will win Democratic gubernatorial primary in Oklahoma, CNN projects
State House Minority Leader Cyndi Munson will win the Oklahoma Democratic gubernatorial primary, CNN’s Decision Desk projects.
Munson became the first Asian American woman elected to the Oklahoma state Legislature in 2015.
A vocal opponent of the state’s near-total abortion ban, Munson has made the repeal of the legislation and the restoration of reproductive healthcare rights a central pillar of her message.
Munson now advances to a general election where the math is daunting: Oklahoma has not elected a Democratic governor since Brad Henry won reelection in 2006.
Collins' victory is a win for Trump — and loss for Kemp
Mike Collins’ victory in the Republican primary runoff for Senate in Georgia is a triumph for President Donald Trump — and a defeat for the state’s governor, Brian Kemp.
Trump gave Collins a last-minute endorsement in a social media post early Sunday morning, after early voting was already over. Kemp, meanwhile, had long backed Collins’ opponent, former college football coach Derek Dooley, seeing him as a more viable contender for the November election.
Trump and Kemp, however, are backing the same candidate in the primary runoff for governor, Lt. Gov. Burt Jones. CNN has not projected a winner in that contest yet.
Rep. Mike Collins will win Republican nomination for Senate in Georgia, CNN projects
US Rep. Mike Collins will win the Republican nomination for Senate in Georgia, CNN’s Decision Desk projects, defeating former college football coach Derek Dooley in a runoff after securing President Donald Trump’s endorsement in the final days of the race.
Collins, who owns a trucking company and is the son of a former congressman, has represented Georgia’s 10th Congressional District since 2023. Collins cast himself as a close ally of Trump and his MAGA agenda. Collins led the Republican field in polling for much of the year and racked up strong fundraising numbers.
The conservative congressman has faced some scrutiny amid a House Ethics Committee review following a complaint accusing his office of misusing taxpayer funds. Collins has denied any wrongdoing.
In the closing weeks of the contest, his campaign fired a top adviser who posted disparaging remarks on a campaign-affiliated account about the spouse of an adviser to a pro-Dooley PAC.
DC mayoral candidates say they'd handle Trump differently than Bowser
The leading Democratic candidates in the DC mayoral race have vowed to fight President Donald Trump to protect the district’s autonomy.
Incumbent Mayor Muriel Bowser’s time in office shows that’s easier said than done. Bowser, who was first elected in 2014, pushed back on the president aggressively during Trump’s first term in office.
When the federal government took over the city’s police department last August, Bowser criticized the move but also credited a drop in crime to the surge in law enforcement.
Janeese Lewis George, a DC councilmember running for mayor, has been critical of Bowser.
“The current Mayor has undermined legal strategies with her praise of the occupation and broad acquiescence. I would do the opposite,” Lewis George wrote in a questionnaire submitted to Free DC, a group formed last year to advocate for DC’s autonomy.
Kenyan McDuffie, a former councilmember running against Lewis George, has also sought to distance himself from the incumbent.
“I believe that Muriel Bowser has done everything she believes to protect home rule,” McDuffie told CNN in an interview, referring to DC’s right to self-government. “I would do things a little differently, though.”
Mike Collins, Trump-endorsed candidate for Senate, pops up at his watch party
Mike Collins, dressed in a dark suit and red tie, just walked into his watch party to applause. He’s shaking hands, posing for pictures and hugging supporters right now.
Collins, the candidate endorsed by President Donald Trump, is in a tight race against former University of Tennessee coach Derek Dooley. The winner of their Republican runoff will face US Sen. Jon Ossoff.
Keisha Lance Bottoms says potential opponents are “both pretty extreme MAGA Republicans”
Keisha Lance Bottoms, the Democratic nominee for Georgia governor, said that Lt. Gov. Burt Jones and billionaire Rick Jackson are “both pretty extreme MAGA Republicans” as she waits to find out which one will be her general election opponent.
Jones and Jackson are competing in a runoff for the Republican gubernatorial nomination, capping a breathtakingly expensive contest fueled by both candidates’ self-funding.
The former Atlanta mayor also reacted to the Trump administration’s efforts to re-litigate the outcome of the 2020 election in her state and fears of future election interference. “Anytime the Trump administration touches anything related to voting, we should all be concerned,” Bottoms said.
Tim Fleming will win the Republican nomination in Georgia’s election chief race, CNN projects
State Rep. Tim Fleming, who backs one of President Donald Trump’s signature election proposals, will win the Republican nomination in the race to become Georgia’s state election chief, CNN’s Decision Desk projects.
Fleming, who ran against former state legislator Vernon Jones in the runoff, has voiced support for the SAVE America Act, a bill backed by Trump that would institute strict new voter ID requirements across the country and require proof of citizenship to register to vote.
Critics say the proposal, currently stalled in the US Senate, would make it harder for millions of Americans to cast ballots.
He’s also co-authored proposals that would increase surveillance of ballot drop boxes and pull Georgia out of a multi-state coalition that helps the state maintain its voter rolls but is viewed with suspicion by hard-right activists.
Fleming was a top aide in the secretary of state’s office when Republican Gov. Brian Kemp served as Georgia’s election chief.
Jackson holds early lead in GOP governor's race, but Election Day votes favor Jones so far
Despite finishing second in the first round of voting, billionaire Rick Jackson has taken an early lead with nearly 60% of the vote in the Republican runoff for Georgia governor over Lt. Gov. Burt Jones, who is backed by both President Donald Trump and outgoing Gov. Brian Kemp.
However, there are signs that the race may tighten.
But Jones is doing much better among Election Day voters so far, winning about 57%.
CNN expects Election Day votes to end up making up roughly six in ten votes cast in the race.
Polls are closing in Alabama, Washington DC and Oklahoma
It’s 8 p.m. ET and polls across Alabama, Washington DC and Oklahoma are closing.
In Alabama, President Donald Trump-backed Rep. Barry Moore is locked in a Senate runoff against former Navy SEAL Jared Hudson.
Voters in DC are deciding who will be the next mayor and primaries in Oklahoma are set to test Trump’s influence.
Meanwhile, a special election in California for former Rep. Eric Swalwell’s seat in the Bay Area 14th District closes out the night with a poll close time of 11 p.m. ET.
Kemp will appear with Dooley at runoff night event
Georgia Gov. Brian Kemp will join Derek Dooley at his election night watch party in Atlanta tonight, according to a source familiar with the plans.
After passing on a run of his own, Kemp has put his own political capital on the line in backing Dooley, a longtime family friend.
The two men hit the campaign trail together for months, and Kemp’s super PAC spent more than $2 million in advertising on Dooley’s behalf in the final two months of the campaign.
Kemp’s endorsement of Dooley had irked some Republicans, who had hoped the party would find a consensus candidate, and it ultimately put him at odds with President Donald Trump, who backed Rep. Mike Collins in the final days of the runoff.
Trump family sends mixed signals on runoff for Georgia governor
While President Donald Trump endorsed Burt Jones for Georgia governor long ago, his son, Donald Trump Jr., praised Jones’ rival, Rick Jackson, on social media Monday.
“My only point is that no matter who wins tomorrow, it’s a victory for MAGA,” he added.
The posts appeared to underscore how the president’s allies are not exclusively aligned with Jones, the state’s lieutenant governor.
Since advancing to a primary runoff, Jackson has picked up endorsements from two Senate Republicans who are reliable votes for the president’s agenda: Rick Scott of Florida and Ted Cruz of Texas.
Burt Jones leans on Trump endorsement in bid for Georgia governor
Georgia Lt. Gov. Burt Jones, who is seeking the Republican nomination for governor, is hoping that President Donald Trump’s unwavering support will help him prevail over billionaire Rick Jackson in today’s runoff.
Jones also scored a last-minute endorsement Sunday from the state’s popular Republican Gov. Brian Kemp, who is term limited.
In his campaign, Jones — a former state senator — also has emphasized his star turn as the captain of the University of Georgia’s championship-winning football team.
Jones is battling Jackson, a political newcomer who has spent more than $100 million of his fortune in the race, for the chance to face Democrat Keisha Lance Bottoms in November.
Trump's endorsement of Mike Collins shows 2020 remains litmus test
In backing Mike Collins in the Republican primary runoff for Senate in Georgia, President Donald Trump made clear that denying his 2020 reelection loss remains a major litmus test for him.
As part of his Sunday social media post endorsing Collins, a congressman, Trump criticized the other candidate, Derek Dooley, for acknowledging Trump lost Georgia in 2020. Trump brought it up again during a telephone rally for Collins on Monday.
Can Rick Jackson expand his support in the Georgia suburbs?
A big question for Rick Jackson in the Republican primary runoff for Georgia governor is whether he can build on his suburban advantage from the primary.
The billionaire carried counties around the state’s three most populous cities: Atlanta, Columbus and Augusta. His opponent, Lt. Gov. Burt Jones, dominated in rural Georgia, powered by an endorsement from President Donald Trump.
In one sign of his strategy, Jackson held one of his last campaign events — a rally with Texas Sen. Ted Cruz — on Monday in Alpharetta. It’s an Atlanta suburb in vote-rich Fulton County, where Jackson beat Jones by 3 percentage points in the primary.
It’s 7 p.m. and polls in Georgia are closing
It’s 7 p.m. ET and polls in Georgia are closing.
Rep. Mike Collins, endorsed by President Donald Trump, faces former football coach Derek Dooley, backed by Gov. Brian Kemp in the Peach State.
The winner will challenge Sen. Jon Ossoff, a rising Democratic Party star.
The GOP runoff for governor features Trump- and Kemp-endorsed Lt. Gov. Burt Jones and billionaire businessman Rick Jackson.
Here’s when polls close tonight and when to expect results
The night begins in Georgia, where polls in several state-wide runoff races close at 7 p.m. ET.
At 8 p.m. ET, polls close in Alabama, Washington, DC, and Oklahoma.
The Alabama Republican Senate runoff will test the power of President Donald Trump’s endorsement, as he’s backed Rep. Barry Moore against former Navy SEAL Jared Hudson.
In DC, voters head to the polls for primaries for mayor, attorney general and the district’s nonvoting delegate in the US House of Representatives. In November 2024, the first votes weren’t reported until around 10:20 p.m. 82% of the vote was in by 11 p.m., and 13% remained uncounted after noon on the Wednesday following Election Day.
Polls also close in Oklahoma at 8 p.m., and votes should come in quickly. In 2024, nearly half the vote was reported in the first hour and the state was all but wrapped up by midnight. However, primary races might not be resolved in Oklahoma Tuesday night, as candidates need to win a majority of the vote to avoid a runoff on August 25.
In the regular primary for a full term earlier this month, nearly 40% of the votes were reported in the first drop at around 11:25 p.m. ET. Alameda County, where the district is located, reported three more times on election night, finishing at around 2:30 a.m. with about 44% of the vote in.
The county reported again on Friday, Monday and the next Friday.
If no candidate in the all-party special election wins a majority, the top two will face off again on August 18.
