LEILA FADEL, HOST:
Kentucky Congressman Thomas Massie is the latest Republican lawmaker to lose his seat for crossing President Trump.
A MARTÍNEZ, HOST:
The race was another display of the president's hold on Republican voters this morning. When asked about not endorsing incumbents, Trump said he'd spoken to Senate leadership on the Republican side.
(SOUNDBITE OF ARCHIVED RECORDING)
PRESIDENT DONALD TRUMP: Some of them don't know how to win. I know how to win. I think I've proven that, haven't I?
MARTÍNEZ: Massie lost his primary to Trump-backed candidate Ed Gallrein by nearly 10 percentage points last night. That was just one race among six states that held elections Tuesday, the busiest primary day of the midterms. Democrats in Georgia and other states continue to see large voter turnout, which could be a good sign for them in November's midterm elections.
FADEL: NPR's Stephen Fowler stayed up late last night to watch these results and joins us here early this morning. Good morning, Stephen.
STEPHEN FOWLER, BYLINE: Good morning.
FADEL: I imagine you have not slept. Did Massie lose because he went against some of Trump's policies?
FOWLER: Yes and no. I mean, Thomas Massie clashed with Trump over the Epstein files. He actually led to the release of the files. He clashed with Trump over the Iran war and foreign conflicts. He opposed Trump's One Big Beautiful Bill. So Trump did back a challenger, former Navy SEAL officer Ed Gallrein, in what's the latest example of Trump taking out anyone who isn't 100% loyal in the last year or so. The last time an incumbent lost was Saturday with Louisiana Senator Bill Cassidy, but Massie kept it close.
I will also note that yesterday, Trump endorsed Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton to oust incumbent Senator John Cornyn ahead of next Tuesday's runoff. You're already hearing some Republicans there fret if Paxton wins because polls indicate his victory would make the general election race more competitive, especially in what's shaping up to be a wave year for Democrats.
FADEL: So let's move to another state with competitive races - Georgia. Tell us how the high-profile contest there went down.
FOWLER: Several of them still won't be decided for another month because of runoffs, like the very, very expensive governor contest where billionaire healthcare executive Rick Jackson narrowly trailed Trump-backed Lieutenant Governor Burt Jones on the Republican side. You also have Congressman Mike Collins going to a runoff against Derek Dooley, the candidate backed by Governor Brian Kemp. That's for the Republican U.S. Senate nomination to face off against incumbent Democrat Jon Ossoff. There was a bit of a surprise as a late-breaking push to elect Democratic-aligned candidates to the state Supreme Court saw both incumbents appointed by Republicans win, though one of them more narrowly than the other.
FADEL: And what are your big takeaways from the results in these races?
FOWLER: Well, mainly a sign that Georgia's court races aren't as politicized as a state like, say, Wisconsin, and that the disparity could stem from voters picking one candidate who seemed more Democratic-coded in the technically nonpartisan race. Also, former Atlanta Mayor Keisha Lance Bottoms winning the Democratic governor's nod, even with some of the baggage from her one term in office, also says a lot about the primary electorate's thoughts. Big takeaway, though - Democratic enthusiasm. Overall, in Georgia, Democrats accounted for 53% of the vote, compared to 45% for Republicans. That gap is going to be something to watch when looking at these key races in November.
FADEL: Now, several other states held primaries yesterday. What are some of the highlights there?
FOWLER: Well, Alabama's governor's race will be between current U.S. Senator Tommy Tuberville, a Republican, against former U.S. Senator Doug Jones, a Democrat. Several of those U.S. House primaries in Alabama won't count, and there'll be a special election in a few months where the state is reverting some districts to old lines more favorable to Republicans. That's because of last month's Supreme Court ruling gutting part of the Voting Rights Act. In Pennsylvania, several key matchups are set, as polls there suggest three Republican-held districts are basically toss-ups. And in many races around the country and up and down the ballot, the general election was basically yesterday, since there are so many uncontested elections and safe seats.
FADEL: That's NPR's Stephen Fowler in Atlanta. Thank you, Stephen.
FOWLER: Thank you. Transcript provided by NPR, Copyright NPR.
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