The latest on the June 21 primaries in Alabama, Georgia, Virginia, and Washington, D.C.
Mark Gonsalves Wins Georgia 7th Congressional District Primary Runoff
10:49 p.m. ET
Mark Gonsalves on June 21 defeated Michael Corbin in a runoff to secure the Republican Party nomination for the U.S. House seat representing Georgia’s newly drawn 7th Congressional District.
Gonsalves will face Rep. Lucy McBath (D-Ga.) in the general election on Nov. 8.
With 95 percent of the votes reported at 10:44 p.m. on June 21, Gonsalves received 70 percent of the vote followed by Corbin at 30 percent, according to Decision Desk HQ.
In the Republican primary on May 24, Corbin led a five-candidate field with 41.2 percent of the vote. Gonsalves finished second at 27.3 percent.
Chris West Wins Georgia 2nd Congressional District GOP Runoff
10:39 p.m. ET
Attorney and Georgia Air National Guard Officer Chris West defeated heavily-funded West Point graduate and former Army Captain Jeremy Hunt in Georgia’s 2nd Congressional District GOP runoff on June 21.
With 94 percent of the votes reported at 10:30 p.m. ET on Tuesday, West accumulated 51.3 percent of the vote followed by Hunt at 48.7 percent, according to Decision Desk HQ.
In the general election, West will oppose Rep. Sanford Bishop (D-Ga.), who received 93 percent of the vote in the May 24 primary and has held office since 1993,
In the May 24 Republican primary, Hunt tallied 37 percent of the ballots with West in second place at 30 percent.
Heading into the runoff, Hunt outspent West 6-to-1 and received $300,000 from the American Values First PAC following the May 24 primary. He was endorsed by Rep. Elise Stefanik (R–N.Y.).
Katie Britt Wins Alabama US Senate Primary Runoff Election
9:25 p.m. ET
Katie Britt defeated Rep. Mo Brooks (R-Ala.) in the Republican primary runoff election for the U.S. Senate ballot berth in the November general election.
Britt received more than 67 percent of the vote as of 9:19 p.m. on June 21, and was declared the winner by Decision Desk HQ with 18 percent of the votes reported.
Britt received a late endorsement from former President Donald Trump, who had months ago withdrew his endorsement of Brooks.
Brooks then missed an endorsement from primary candidate Mike Durant, who had finished in third place in the primary.
According to Alabama voters interviewed by The Epoch Times, Trump’s last-minute endorsement flips had little impact on their votes.
Kiggans Wins Virginia Republican Primary
8:45 p.m. ET
All 11 Virginia congressional incumbents—seven Democrats and four Republicans—will be defending their seats in November against a slate of challengers who earned their ballot berths in conventions or by defeating party rivals in the commonwealth’s June 21 primaries.
That roster includes Republican primary winners in two “tossup” congressional districts where incumbents are regarded among the most likely sitting Democrats to be unseated this fall.
According to the Virginia Department of Elections’ Republican primary webpage, Republican state Sen. Jen Kiggans, a former Navy helicopter pilot and now a full-time geriatric nurse, ousted three fellow veterans to earn the Republican Congressional District 2 (CD 2) ballot berth in November.
In the other closely-watched GOP primary, Prince William Board Supervisor Yesli I. Vega and “outsider” Derrick Anderson were neck-and-neck in a six-candidate pack in a CD 7 race too close to call in the hours after voting ended.
Kiggans said she campaigned for 14 months and found voters of all political persuasions responsive to her conservative message. She said she will hammer Democrats on the economy.
“The economy, the economy, the economy is the number one issue,” she said. “Virginians are as frustrated, as all Americans are, with gas, grocery prices at all-time highs, and the economy in shambles. It is time to put conservative Republicans back in charge” to foil the “danger and insanity of one-party rule” under Democrats.
McCormick Wins Over Trump-Endorsed Evans in Georgia
8:30 p.m. ET
In Georgia’s newly drawn 6th Congressional District, emergency room physician and Marine veteran Rich McCormick topped Donald Trump-endorsed Jake Evans.
With 32 percent of the ballots reported at 8:26 p.m. on June 21, McCormick received 71 percent of the vote followed by Evans at 28 percent, according to The Associated Press.
In the May 24 primary, Evans received 23 percent to McCormick’s 43 percent.
In a debate earlier this month, Evans said that Georgia should switch to closed primaries so Democrats cannot pull Republican ballots.
“What I’m now for is ensuring Republicans elect Republicans that will represent them, that Democrats don’t infiltrate, manipulate, influence our elections, which is what happened two Tuesdays ago,” Evans said.
Nguyen Survives Democratic Primary Runoff, Will Face Raffensperger in November
8:17 p.m. ET
If elected to be Georgia’s secretary of state, state Rep. Bee Nguyen has said she’ll create a government agency to address “rampant” disinformation “caused by Republicans.”
She may get that chance.
Nguyen bested former state Rep. Dee Dawkins-Haigler in the Democratic primary runoff on June 21. She garnered more than 79 percent of the vote with 19 percent of the votes reported at 7:48 p.m. ET on Tuesday.
Now, Nguyen will take on incumbent Republican Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger in the general election on Nov. 8.
Not many secretary of state races gain the attention of the entire nation. Georgia’s race defied the trend because Georgia elections have been the topic of water-cooler conversations for nearly two years.
Some of the events of the 2020 election in Georgia fueled the controversy over the legitimacy of the outcome, culminating in the breach of the U.S. Capitol in Washington on Jan. 6, 2021, amid mostly peaceful protests.
That event happened the day after Georgia Republicans lost two U.S. Senate seats in runoff elections, turning control of Congress over to Democrats. Those results came on the heels of the hotly contested presidential election results that put Joe Biden in the White House.
Ever since, former President Donald Trump has questioned the veracity of Georgia’s election outcome, and has castigated Raffensperger for failing to show fraud.
Collins Beats Trump-Backed Vernon Jones in Georgia Congressional Runoff
8:14 p.m. ET
In one of the most heated congressional races to date in 2022, trucking company owner Mike Collins easily defeated Donald Trump-endorsed Vernon Jones in Georgia’s 10th Congressional District Republican primary runoff election.
With 34 percent of the votes reported at 8:09 p.m. on June 21, Collins received 78 percent of the vote while Jones accumulated 22 percent, according to The Associated Press.
Collins will face Tabitha Johnson-Green or Jessica Fore, the candidates in the Democratic primary runoff. Green and Fore remained in the race after a recount requested by third-place finisher Phyllis Hatcher did not change the results.
The 10th Congressional District seat opened after Rep. Jody Hice unsuccessfully ran against incumbent Brad Raffensperger in last month’s Republican primary for Georgia secretary of state.
Incumbent Republican Gov. Brian Kemp, who decisively defeated Trump-endorsed David Perdue in last month’s primary, backed Collins.
Georgia Voters Head to Polls for 4 US House Primary Runoffs
5:11 p.m. ET
Donald Trump-endorsed former state Rep. Vernon Jones and pro-Trump trucking company owner Mike Collins hit the phones to reach out to residents of Georgia’s 10th Congressional District on June 21 as voters headed to the polls for the Republican primary runoff election.
Considered one of the pivotal U.S. House races, the contest has been marked by attack ads from both sides, and opinions about who is the “Trumpiest” candidate.
The winner will face Tabitha Johnson-Green or Jessica Fore, the candidates in the Democratic primary runoff. Green and Fore remained in the race after a recount requested by third-place finisher Phyllis Hatcher did not change the results.
The 10th district seat opened after Rep. Jody Hice unsuccessfully ran against incumbent Brad Raffensperger in last month’s Republican primary for Georgia secretary of state.
Since the 10th district is heavily Republican, Jones or Collins will likely occupy the seat in January 2023.
Voters Head to Polls for Alabama’s Senate Primary Runoff
4:38 p.m. ET
Voters in Montgomery seemed evenly divided between Katie Britt and Rep. Mo Brooks (R-Ala.)
The pair face off in a Republican primary runoff election for Alabama’s U.S. Senate seat. The winner of the race between the two will likely win the general election in the deep-red state.
“I’m not a fan of Katie Britt,” said Montgomery voter Shirley Krothapalli. “I want someone who’s actually going to work.”
Krothapalli added that she planned to vote for Brooks.
Another voter, Cindy DeLongchamp, said she planned to vote for Britt because she knew her personally and knew she had a strong work ethic.
“She is a fellow parent at Montgomery Academy, and I’ve seen her work very, very hard during her campaign,” she said.
Although Britt received an endorsement from former president Donald Trump, DeLongchamp said the endorsement made no difference for her.
“No, I decided a long time ago to vote for Katie,” she said.
Britt’s last-minute Trump endorsement was the last in a long line of endorsement disappointments for Brooks.
Brooks started the race with a Trump endorsement, which Trump revoked after Brooks made a speech asking voters to focus on the next election instead of continuing to debate the 2020 election.
Then, Brooks missed an endorsement from primary candidate Mike Durant. If Durant’s voters had all swung to Brooks, it would have given him a significant advantage in the run-off.
Finally, Trump endorsed Britt.
But according to Alabama voters interviewed by The Epoch Times, Trump’s last-minute endorsement flips had little impact on their votes.
“It’s been a bunch of noise,” said Britt voter Mose Stuart. The whole issue with Donald Trump endorsement, I think he himself has rendered it a little bit meaningless.”
Stuart said that Trump has often endorsed candidates who lead in polls late in the race. This approach means that Trump-endorsed candidates usually win because Trump only endorses people who are already winning.
“I’m not even sure that it would have mattered in this election,” he said.
Voter Vanessa Askren said she was voting for Brooks because he impressed her in an interview on Glenn Beck’s show.
“He sounded very intelligent, very savvy on the economics of everything,” she said.
Several voters mentioned concerns over the rising cost of energy, the lack of border security, a bad economy, the ongoing Russian invasion of Ukraine, and the increasing power of China.
Askren said she believed the next few elections were very important.
“I think this election and 2024 are for the survival of this country,” she said. “Our liberty is going away, and I don’t think people realize it.”
Nanette Holt, Jeff Louderbeck, Jackson Elliot, and John Haughey contributed to this report.