Trump Suffers Unexpected Defeat After Republican Elections in Georgia
Posted on06/18/26 at 12:26
- Trump Loses Key Endorsement Battle in Georgia Republican Elections
- Jackson Surprises in Georgia
- Collins Advances to Senate Race
The Republican election day in Georgia produced mixed results for President Donald Trump.
Although his preferred candidate for the Senate achieved a decisive victory, the president suffered an unexpected defeat in the race for governor of the state.
Trump Fails to Impose His Candidate in Georgia Republican Elections
Dems Pounded Hard: Georgia GOP Senate runoff won by Rep. Mike Collins, will face Ossoff | Fox News https://t.co/pZA1Tu4Uvs
— Goober Biden (@Demfraud) June 17, 2026
The results also represented a political blow for outgoing Governor Brian Kemp, who unsuccessfully backed several key candidates.
- Why it matters: Georgia remains one of the most contested states in the country, and the November elections will be closely watched by both parties.
The Senate race is especially relevant because of the fight for control of the upper chamber.
Jackson Defeats Trump-Backed Candidate
Breaking news: Rep. Mike Collins (R), who received a last-minute endorsement from President Trump, will face incumbent Democratic Sen. Jon Ossoff for a Senate seat in Georgia that will be crucial to determining which party controls the chamber. https://t.co/klIkiDoksI
— The Washington Post (@washingtonpost) June 17, 2026
Billionaire health care executive Rick Jackson narrowly won the Republican nomination for governor.
Jackson defeated Lieutenant Governor Burt Jones, who had Trump’s endorsement since August 2025.
He will now face former Democratic Atlanta Mayor Keisha Lance Bottoms in the general election.
The victory represents a rare defeat for Trump in a Republican primary.
During the campaign, Jackson sought to position himself as a figure capable of attracting both Trump supporters and Kemp supporters.
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To boost his candidacy, he invested more than $100 million of his own fortune.
Jones entered the race with an established political career within the state.
He had also actively participated in efforts to overturn Georgia’s 2020 election results.
As leader of the state Senate, he promoted several controversial initiatives related to abortion restrictions and changes to election law.
Collins Wins the Senate Battle
In contrast with the governor’s race, Trump scored a clear victory in the Republican Senate contest.
Representative Mike Collins easily won the runoff and became the party’s candidate.
Collins will face Democratic Senator Jon Ossoff in November.
The competition will be closely watched nationwide.
Both parties believe Georgia could play a key role in determining control of the Senate.
Trump formally intervened in the race shortly before the vote.
His endorsement came after the early voting period for the runoff had ended.
Early Sunday morning, he posted a lengthy message supporting Collins.
In that same message, he criticized Derek Dooley, the former football coach backed by Kemp.
Trump questioned Dooley’s ties to Georgia and criticized statements related to the 2020 presidential election.
Political Setback for Brian Kemp
The results also left Governor Brian Kemp in a difficult position.
Kemp decided not to run for Senate and devoted political and financial resources to supporting Dooley’s candidacy.
However, Republican voters rejected that bet.
One of the main arguments from Dooley’s supporters was that a candidate from outside the traditional political system would have better chances in a state considered competitive.
The vote showed that most Republicans who participated in the runoff did not share that view.
In addition to Dooley’s defeat, Kemp also failed to impose Jones in the governor’s race.
With that, the outgoing governor saw two of his main political bets fail in a decisive day for Georgia’s Republican future.