Tuberville Out of the Senate, Into the Alabama Governor's Race

Sen. Tommy Tuberville won the Alabama Republican gubernatorial nomination on May 19, according to Fox News. That means Tuberville is vacating his U.S. Senate seat to run for governor — a structural shift that Alabama Democrats are trying to exploit.

Democrats rallied around a former Democratic senator as their nominee to challenge Tuberville in the fall, per Fox News. Alabama is deep red, but an open Senate seat and a governor's race with Tuberville at the top of the ticket creates a two-front battle Republicans didn't expect to fight this hard.

Most national coverage has focused on Georgia instead. The Alabama race deserves closer attention.

Georgia Senate Runoff: The Kemp-vs-Trump Proxy War No One's Naming Directly

The Georgia GOP Senate primary went to a runoff, according to Fox News. Republicans are fighting to unseat Democratic incumbent Sen. Jon Ossoff. Fox News noted that this runoff could become a proxy battle between Gov. Brian Kemp's political network and Trump's MAGA operation — two factions that genuinely hate each other in Georgia.

Georgia has a Republican-controlled state government but two Democratic U.S. senators, according to NPR. Whoever wins the Republican Senate nomination must be strong enough to beat Ossoff in November. A weak candidate handed the nomination because of intra-party warfare helps Ossoff more than any Democratic campaign ad.

Georgia Governor's Race: Trump's Endorsement Wasn't Enough to Clear the Field

Trump endorsed Lt. Gov. Burt Jones. Jones still couldn't crack 50% and is now headed to a June 16 runoff against healthcare billionaire Rick Jackson, per NPR and Fox News.

The sitting president's endorsed candidate, in a state Trump won in 2024, couldn't close the primary outright. Jackson — not Trump-endorsed — compared himself to Trump as a "fellow billionaire" and spent millions attacking Jones in TV ads since entering the race in January 2026.

NPR noted that Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger and Attorney General Chris Carr — both of whom resisted Trump's 2020 pressure campaign — were eliminated. The GOP base in Georgia has moved on from them. But the base is split between two Trump-adjacent candidates.

Keisha Lance Bottoms won the Democratic primary for Georgia governor without a runoff, per NPR and Fox News. She's a former one-term Atlanta mayor and Biden administration official. She'll face whichever Republican survives June 16. Georgia Democrats haven't won the governorship since Roy Barnes in 1998 — a 27-year losing streak Bottoms is being asked to end.

Kentucky: The Races Are Set

Andy Barr won the Republican Senate primary with Trump's backing, according to Fox News, setting him up to fill the seat Mitch McConnell is vacating. Charles Booker won the Democratic Senate primary, per Fox News, to take on Barr in the fall. Kentucky hasn't sent a Democrat to the U.S. Senate since Wendell Ford left in 1999. Booker ran statewide before and lost. This is a difficult race for Democrats.

For Barr's now-open House seat in Kentucky's 6th Congressional District, physician Ralph Alvarado won the GOP primary after receiving a Trump endorsement the president described with "glowing" praise, according to Fox News. The Democratic nominee for that seat wasn't named in available sources.

Pennsylvania: Three Races, Three Different Democratic Strategies

Pennsylvania Democrats are running three very different playbooks.

In the Pennsylvania 7th District — a swing district — Bob Brooks, a firefighters union boss backed by both Gov. Josh Shapiro and Sen. Bernie Sanders, won the Democratic primary, per Fox News. The choice reflects a working-class, blue-collar messenger for a persuadable district.

In a separate Pennsylvania House district targeting Republican Rep. Scott Perry, former TV news anchor Janelle Stelson won the Democratic primary, according to Fox News. Her name recognition is the campaign's strongest asset.

Gov. Josh Shapiro will face Trump-backed Bernadette Garrity in a high-stakes Pennsylvania governor race, Fox News reported. Shapiro is one of the Democrats' strongest general-election candidates nationally.

Idaho: The Boring Wins That Still Matter

Gov. Brad Little won the Idaho Republican primary for a third term running on deregulation and tax cuts, with Trump's backing, per Fox News. Sen. Jim Risch won the Idaho GOP Senate primary for a potential fourth term, also with Trump's endorsement, according to Fox News. Democrats nominated small business owner Terri Pickens to run against Little in a race Fox News itself called "uphill."

Idaho is not competitive. Risch winning a fourth term at age 82 does raise succession questions in a Senate where Republicans need every seat.

Oregon: GOP Sees an Opening

A former top Oregon Republican Party official secured the GOP nomination for governor, with Republicans openly targeting the seat as a potential blue-state pickup, according to Fox News. Democratic Gov. Tina Kotek is the incumbent. Oregon has struggled with homelessness, crime, and the effects of drug decriminalization under her watch — challenges Republicans believe create an opening.

What Matters Most

Trump's endorsement remains powerful but is not automatic. Jones needed a runoff despite Trump's backing. Risch and Little won easily with Trump's backing in states where any Republican would win easily. The real test comes in competitive states — a verdict that arrives in November.

Democrats are fielding credible nominees in more races than in 2022. Booker in Kentucky, Bottoms in Georgia, Brooks in Pennsylvania's 7th — these are serious candidates. Whether they can win is uncertain, but the party has candidates across its bench.

The June 16 Georgia runoffs for governor and Senate will determine much of the November landscape.