Tuesday marked the biggest primary night so far of the 2026 midterm cycle, setting the stage for the main event this November.
Across the six states where voters cast their ballots, one thing became increasingly clear: President Donald Trump was the biggest winner of the night, as all his preferred candidates notched the victories they needed. But whether those primary wins will spell ultimate victory in the general election is still an open question.
While several of the GOP primaries feature candidates vying for Trump’s endorsement and support to win, that may not be the secret to success when it comes to November. Although Trump is still popular with the Republican base, his approval ratings nationwide are underwater.
But the president still has a hold over the Republican Party as they choose their candidates, which was made clear once again on Tuesday night.
Here are the biggest takeaways from the biggest primary night so far.
Massie ousted in most expensive House primary ever
One of the biggest races of the night — and Trump’s biggest victory — was in Kentucky’s 4th Congressional District, where Rep. Thomas Massie was defeated in his primary bid.
Massie was toppled by Trump-backed candidate Ed Gallrein, whom the president endorsed in an effort to oust one of his most stubborn party members. Massie has frequently bucked Trump during the president’s second term, prompting an all-out fight to oust the eight-term incumbent in what became the most expensive House primary in history.
Massie lost by roughly 10 percentage points, bringing an unceremonious end to the Kentucky Republican’s 14 years in office.
Massie went out swinging during his concession speech, criticizing his opponents for pouring money into the race to ensure his defeat as well as the president over the war in Iran and his billion-dollar White House ballroom project.
“I got to watch Fox also for the first time in 18 months, and there was the president talking about — by the way, while gas is almost $5 and diesel is almost $6 — they’re talking about this big ballroom they’re going to build,” Massie said. “And it looks, it looks like the Roman Empire.”
Georgia and Trump’s wrath
Brad Raffensperger, the secretary of state in Georgia, is still dealing with Trump’s wrath that has been marinating for years — and it all came to a head on Tuesday.
Raffensperger, who declined Trump’s wishes to “find” 11,000 votes during the 2020 presidential election so that he could flip Georgia in his favor, lost in the state’s gubernatorial primary and did not advance to the runoff election. Raffensperger placed third in the crowded eight-way primary, ending his political career for now.
It was a win for Trump, who had previously tried and failed to oust Raffensperger from his current position in the 2022 primaries.
Instead, Lt. Gov. Burt Jones and billionaire Rick Jackson will advance to the runoff.
Republicans searching for candidate to take on Democratic Sen. Jon Ossoff
Elsewhere in Georgia, Republicans are still looking for their candidate to take on Democratic Sen. Jon Ossoff in one of the most competitive Senate races this cycle.
Rep. Mike Collins and former college football coach Derek Dooley will advance to a runoff after neither garnered more than 50% of the vote. Rep. Buddy Carter, another House Republican vying for the nomination, was eliminated.
Trump had not yet endorsed in the primary, but the president could place his finger on the scale now that the field has narrowed. It’s a race Republicans are pushing to flip as part of their bid to maintain their slim majority in the U.S. Senate next year.
Trump-backed candidate wins Kentucky Senate primary
Meanwhile, Trump notched another win in the Kentucky Senate primary after his chosen candidate, Rep. Andy Barr, won the Republican nomination. He is the favored candidate to win in the fall.
Barr’s victory comes after Trump cleared the field earlier this year by offering his top opponent, Nate Morris, a position within his administration. Shortly after that, Trump endorsed Barr — who went on to easily defeat former state Attorney General Daniel Cameron.
Barr is vying to replace the retiring Sen. Mitch McConnell, who announced last year he would not seek another term. Cameron is a longtime ally of McConnell, making it unlikely Trump would want to throw his support behind his bid. But Cameron has worked to distance himself in hopes of supporting a Trump agenda.
Barr will face Democratic nominee Charles Booker, a former state lawmaker who unsuccessfully challenged Sen. Rand Paul in 2022.
Idaho Gov. Brad Little emerges from primary challenge undefeated
Idaho Gov. Brad Little emerged victorious in his primary election, defeating his main challenger, who had drawn backlash over past comments regarding members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.
Little came out on top over Mark Fitzpatrick, a bar owner, culture warrior and former police officer who had appeared to be the only one with fundraising to challenge Little’s third-term ambitions. But Fitzpatrick came under fire after comments he made regarding the church last year, saying that “Mormons aren’t Christian.”
That post was made on the same day a gunman rammed into a church meetinghouse in Michigan, lit the building on fire and started shooting, killing four individuals and wounding eight others.
Although he made several follow-up posts to insist he does not hold bigoted views toward Latter-day Saints, Fitzpatrick declined to distance himself from his earlier comments, despite requests from voters.
Little defeated Fitzpatrick by more than 30 points.