President Donald Trump’s ongoing quest to dominate Republican primary elections met its first significant resistance June 16, going up against opposing Georgia Gov. Brian Kemp’s endorsement in a critical U.S. Senate race.
Ahead of the 2026 midterms, the president has successfully purged GOP dissenters and picked other nominees with ease, particularly in the South where he has catapulted several longtime incumbents out of Congress.
Georgia Republicans remain raw, however, after losing multiple Senate battles to Democrats while running nominees more aligned with Trump than their own governor—a rumored White House contender popular with moderates and liked by conservatives despite previously feuding with the president.