5 Races Trump Is Looming Over On Tuesday

Democrats were largely in the spotlight this June, with primary after primary testing the party's direction. Now, it's President Donald Trump's turn.

Trump looms over several critical races taking place Tuesday. The Democratic mayoral primary in deep-blue Washington, D.C., will determine which candidate will serve as the president's new foil. And competitive races in battleground Georgia as well as deep-red Alabama and Oklahoma will reveal the power of his endorsement — and whether it's enough to get a candidate across the finish line at the last-minute.

Here are five races POLITICO is watching today.

Georgia GOP Senate runoff

Trump, at the last minute, weighed in on who he thinks should be the GOP nominee to take on Democratic Sen. Jon Ossoff in Georgia — setting up a high-profile clash with Gov. Brian Kemp who picked the other Republican.

In the wee hours of Sunday morning, Trump endorsed Rep. Mike Collins (R-Ga.) over Kemp-backed former football coach Derek Dooley for the party’s Senate runoff. The president’s surprising decision comes after months of staying on the sidelines amid jockeying from both candidates to score his support.

Trump’s endorsement has been a proven boost for many candidates. But after he failed to get Rep. Randy Feenstra (R-Iowa) over the finish line in the Iowa gubernatorial primary, it’s an open question whether Collins will have enough time to flex the endorsement with voters. Early voting had already concluded by the time Trump stepped in.

Collins said Monday on Fox News that Trump’s endorsement "shows that he has confidence that we know how to win this race.”

Dooley, meanwhile, has been leaning on Kemp’s endorsement, as the matchup shapes to be a test of the governor’s popularity vs. the president’s grip on the GOP writ large.

“A vote for Mike Collins is a vote for Jon Ossoff — but a vote for me is a vote for the people of Georgia,” Dooley said Sunday, in an attempt to cast doubt on Collins’ electability.

Whoever emerges from the runoff on Tuesday will have to quickly pivot to the general election, where Ossoff has been stockpiling a massive $32 million warchest ahead of November.

Georgia GOP gubernatorial runoff

While the Senate race has been somewhat of a proxy battle between Kemp and Trump, the governor decided to side with the Trump-backed candidate in the race to replace him on Sunday night.

Both Kemp and Trump are supporting Lt. Gov. Burt Jones over self-funding businessperson Rick Jackson in the governor’s race. It’s a blow to Jackson, who had been amplifying positive comments Kemp made about him in recent ads and who has poured more than $100 million into his bid — mostly of his own money — to maintain a narrow lead.

Jones leaned heavily on Kemp’s new endorsement to close out the primary on Monday.

“This is exactly what’s going to put us over the top,” Jones told reporters at a barber shop appearance alongside Kemp.

Alabama GOP Senate runoff

Rep. Barry Moore (R-Ala.) has found himself in a toss-up runoff against former Navy SEAL Jared Hudson, despite his lofty cash advantage and gaining the coveted Trump endorsement.

Trump’s support initially boosted Moore to the front of the pack during the first round of the primary. But he’s since seen his lead erode in the head-to-head matchup with Hudson, who has the backing of prominent gun-rights groups that are still frustrated with the White House over its handling of a Minnesota shooting in January.

Hudson has also repeatedly attacked Moore over how he represents his military status, something that has become a flashpoint in the closing days of the campaign.

Still, Moore and his allies have drastically outspend Hudson in the runoff on advertising: The pro-Moore group Defend American Jobs has spent almost $10 million on ads, according to the tracking service AdImpact. Hudson, meanwhile, has spent just over $230,000. The top group supporting him — Alabama Conservatives — is fourth in overall spending, putting $1.8 million on the airwaves.

Oklahoma governor GOP primary

In Oklahoma, Trump and his allies have rallied behind former state Sen. Mike Mazzei, who is running in a crowded primary that features the current attorney general and a scion of a top political family in the state.

Mazzei has leaned in to Trump’s endorsement, and even the candidates who don’t have it — like Attorney General Gentner Drummond — are using the president’s image prominently in their closing ads.

Polling shows Mazzei now has an edge, a big shift from a few months ago when Drummond had a sizable lead — until Trump allies like the Club for Growth began hammering him as a “RINO.”

Whoever emerges from the field will be on a glidepath to take over for term-limited GOP Gov. Kevin Stitt given the state’s deep-red bend.

Washington mayoral

Both Democrats in the district’s mayoral contest — more-moderate former councilmember Kenyan McDuffie and progressive councilmember Janeese Lewis George — have centered much of their campaigns around pushing back on Trump’s meddling in Washington.

“The people of D.C. elect their mayor, and they want someone who’s gonna stand up to Donald Trump,” Lewis George said in her latest ad.

McDuffie told POLITICO last week that “residents want and deserve a mayor who’s going to stand up and fight back, and that’s what I’m bringing.”

Both candidates have emphasized that they hope to find common ground with the Trump administration and coordinate on projects that could help the district’s economy. But they drew a red line at Trump’s recent law enforcement actions.

The question of who will ultimately get the chance to push back on the president will fall on voters Tuesday, and polling so far shows Lewis George with a lead.

Trump himself has taken notice. Asked Thursday about the possibility of Lewis George winning the primary, he told reporters: “I wouldn’t like it.”

“Maybe we’ll take back Washington, run it on a federal basis,” Trump said. “We won’t put up with it. We’re not gonna lose our businesses.”