Conservatives run well in Tuesday prinmaries in four states | Eastern NC Now

Conservatives generally ran well in primaries held across four states Tuesday.

For US Senate seats  conservatives led in Alabama and  Georgia while the establishment won  in Kentucky.  In Alabama, conservative Congressman Barry Moore, endorsed by the Senate Conservatives Fund and the Club for Growth was way out in front, but will face a runoff. In Georgia, conservative Congressman Mike Collins backed by the Senate Conservative Fund and the Club for Growth, led establishment favorite Coach Derek Dooley by over ten points, but will also face a runoff.  Kentucky's Senate primary was down to two Mitch McConnell proteges after businessman Nate Morris took an appointment in the Trump administration.  The more liberal McConnell ally, Congressman Andy Barr won over the slightly more conservative former state attorney general Daniel Cameron.

In governor's races, conservative US Senator Tommy Tuberville won a landslide victory for the Republican nomination for Governor of Alabama.  In Georgia, Lieutenant Governor Bert Jones, endorsed by President Trump was top votegetter and will face businessman Rick Jackson in a runoff.  The establishment favorite, Secretary of State Brad Raffensberger, whose handling of the 2020 election was highly controversial was a distant third.  Raffensberger's handpicked successor for Secretary of State also failed to make the runoff for that office.

In Kentucky, libertarian gadfly Congressman Thomas Massie went down to defeat to a Navy SEAL endorsed by President Trump.  Over 14 years in Congress, Massie transitioned from a quirky but principled libertarian to a leadership lackey to a grandstander who worked too often with Democrats.  For example, he voted against Trump's Big Beautiful Bill because he thought it did too much to enforce the border.

https://thefederalist.com/2026/05/20/why-thomas-massie-lost/