Short rundown: A slate of primaries and runoffs across the country will produce results that matter locally and nationally, and President Donald Trump has publicly weighed in on several key contests while a special primary to replace Rep. Eric Swalwell is also on the calendar.
Multiple states hold important primary and runoff contests this Tuesday, and the outcomes will shape party slates into November. Some races are routine local fights, while others could shift how parties approach the general election. A special primary to fill the seat vacated by Rep. Eric Swalwell is part of the mix and will extend the calendar into the summer.
Washington, D.C. The Democratic mayoral primary is crowded, with candidates ranging from DSA-backed Janeese Lewis George to former councilman Kenyan McDuffie and businessman Gary Goodweather. The contest has turned national because of a federal-state clash over policing and local control, and President Trump has made the city a focal point. “Well, I wouldn’t like it. And maybe we take back Washington and run it on a federal basis. We won’t put up with it. We’re not gonna lose our businesses. By the way, Washington is now a safe, beautiful place,” Trump told reporters, a warning that has escalated tensions in the race.
Lewis George, a sitting councilwoman, fired back with direct language aimed at the President’s threats and the broader stakes for local autonomy. “We are not going to get ICE off our streets or protect Home Rule by fearing this President,” she said, and added in further remarks that federal threats are an assault on voters’ rights. The D.C. contest is a reminder that local leadership choices can rapidly become national talking points in a polarized moment.
Georgia features a high-profile Senate battle and a competitive governor’s fight heading to runoffs in some places. Rep. Mike Collins and former coach Derek Dooley are competing to take on Sen. Jon Ossoff, and national forecasters rate the eventual November matchup as competitive, with Democrats holding a narrow edge in some ratings. The dynamics in Georgia continue to draw heavy outside attention, money, and endorsements.
President Trump threw his weight behind Collins in a Truth Social post, calling him a stalwart ally with strong loyalty to the movement. “Mike Collins is a true Friend, Fighter, and WARRIOR, who has been with us from the very beginning, and has my Complete and Total Endorsement to be your next United States Senator.”
Dooley has leaned into his ties to Governor Brian Kemp in response, and the governor’s race itself has seen high-profile alignments on both sides. Trump-backed Lt. Gov. Burt Jones faces Rick Jackson, who has the backing of influential Republican figures in the state, creating a split in conservative endorsements and a test of which coalition can mobilize base voters.
Alabama pits Rep. Barry Moore against Navy SEAL Jared Hudson in a contest to replace Sen. Tommy Tuberville, who is running for governor. President Trump publicly endorsed Moore, highlighting Moore’s early support for his campaigns and painting him as a loyal America First ally. The primary is treated as safely Republican by many observers, but the intra-party fight exposes different currents within the state GOP.
Trump’s announcement on the endorsement included an emphatic endorsement of Moore’s record and connection to the broader movement: “Congressman Barry Moore, an America First Patriot who has been with me from the very beginning (He was the first Elected Official in the Country to Endorse me!), is running for the United States Senate in Alabama, a place I love and WON BIG in 2016, 2020, and 2024, getting the Highest Vote in that Great State’s History.
Oklahoma has a crowded GOP primary to replace a termed-out governor, with candidates including Attorney General Gentner Drummond, former House Speaker Charles McCall, Chip Keating, and former state Sen. Mike Mazzei. Mazzei has earned a Trump endorsement, and the top of the ticket looks competitive in most polls between him and Drummond. If no candidate reaches a majority, Oklahoma voters will return to the polls for an August runoff.
https://x.com/Janeese4DC/status/2065190756214538273
California has its own story with the special primary to replace Swalwell in the 14th Congressional District, where state Sen. Aisha Webb and former Dublin Mayor Melissa Hernandez are the leading Democrats and Wendy Huang is the main Republican in the field. The special election timeline pushes the final contest to August 18 for the top-two finishers, and until then the seat will remain open in a closely divided House.
Across these races, the pattern is familiar: endorsements from national figures move the needle in primaries, but local dynamics and turnout determine outcomes. Expect attention to shift quickly from the primary tallies to runoff calendars and general election matchups as winners emerge and strategists recalibrate.
