Barr Takes Kentucky Senate Seat — But Cameron Made It Close

Andy Barr beat former Kentucky Attorney General Daniel Cameron in the GOP primary to succeed Mitch McConnell, according to Politico. Trump endorsed Barr.

Cameron was the 2023 Republican gubernatorial nominee. He's not some fringe candidate. He ran a real race. The margin matters — a close finish would indicate how much Trump's endorsement actually moved voters versus how much Cameron's own name recognition carried him.

Barr now faces a November general election for a seat Democrats desperately want. McConnell's retirement flipped this from safe-red to competitive on some forecasters' maps. Watch this one.

Massie Tests Trump — And Doesn't Blink

Rep. Thomas Massie of Kentucky's 4th Congressional District faced a Trump-endorsed challenger because Massie has repeatedly broken with the president on key votes, according to ms.now. Trump wanted him gone. Massie won.

A sitting congressman who openly defied Trump — on spending, on procedural votes, on constitutional grounds — survived a primary in a state Trump dominates. Massie has a strong local brand and a reputation for genuine principle, not just party loyalty. It suggests Trump's endorsement machine has limits, especially when the incumbent can demonstrate independence.

Georgia's Secretary of State Race Is a 2020 Ghost Story

Georgia's Secretary of State primary — the race to control how elections are run in the most contested state in America — is being shaped almost entirely by Trump's 2020 claims that the election was stolen. The Republican field includes Vernon Jones, Kelvin King, and Tim Fleming, among others. With only about 15% of expected votes in as of early results, it was too early to call.

This office manages voter rolls, certifies elections, and sets the tone for election administration. Trump publicly pressured former Secretary Brad Raffensperger to "find" votes in 2020. Raffensperger refused. Now the candidates lining up for that seat are largely defined by their posture toward those 2020 claims.

On the Democratic side, Penny Reynolds led early with 44.5% over Dana Barrett's 33%, per NBC News. Neither name has national profile. But whoever wins this primary will be the Democratic face of Georgia election integrity heading into 2026 and beyond.

Georgia Senate: Two Trump Loyalists Fight for the Right to Challenge Ossoff

Rep. Buddy Carter and Rep. Mike Collins are the top contenders battling for the GOP Senate nomination to challenge Democratic Sen. Jon Ossoff, according to The Hill. The Hill also noted the son of a legendary college football coach is in the mix — a detail ms.now flagged without naming him directly.

Ossoff won his seat in the 2021 runoff that flipped the Senate. Republicans have circled this race as a must-win. Collins and Carter have spent months attacking each other, which means whoever wins stumbles into a general election bruised and with a lighter wallet.

This is the Georgia GOP's pattern — running ugly primaries and then losing swing-state general elections. See also: Herschel Walker.

Alabama, Idaho, Oregon: The Races Nobody's Watching

The Alabama Senate primary is a free-for-all to replace Tommy Tuberville, who is vacating his Senate seat to run for governor, according to The Hill. Rep. Barry Moore is in the mix. This is a safe Republican seat in the general — but watch for whether anyone emerges cleanly or if it drags into a runoff. Doug Jones, the former Democratic senator, is making a bid.

In Idaho, Sen. Jim Risch is running for reelection in a state where he faces no serious threat, per The Hill.

Oregon Gov. Tina Kotek, a Democrat, is running for a second term and faced nine primary challengers, according to The Hill. Oregon has been trending more competitive than Democrats expected. Kotek won her first term by a narrower margin than her party expected. Her primary performance will signal how much trouble she's actually in.

What This Means for November

Control of Congress gets decided in November. The primaries happening right now determine who's on the ballot. Georgia and Kentucky are both legitimate swing states for Senate seats. The people winning these primaries tonight will either expand or shrink the Republican Senate majority.

If you care about how elections are run — not just who wins them — the Georgia Secretary of State race carries weight. This office certifies elections in the most contested state in recent memory.