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Image: Georgia Republican Senate Candidate Herschel Walker Holds Runoff Election Night Event
Georgia Republican Senate candidate Herschel Walker and his wife Julie Blanchard leave after he delivered his concession speech during an election night event at the College Football Hall of Fame on Dec. 6, 2022 in Atlanta.Alex Wong / Getty Images

Trump’s Georgia struggles continue 

Trump-backed candidates saw more primary losses in Georgia than any other state.

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Republican Herschel Walker’s loss Tuesday in the Georgia Senate runoff was the latest blow for former President Donald Trump in the Peach State. 

Trump-backed candidates saw more primary losses in Georgia than any other state this election cycle, with six candidates losing their nominating contests, per an analysis of Trump’s endorsements from the NBC News political unit. 

Walker was the only Trump-backed candidate who advanced through a primary but lost the general election. The other successful candidates were House incumbents in deeply Republican districts, so they were heavily favored to win in November. 

Trump’s losses in Georgia are in part because he tried to take on GOP incumbents in statewide offices, and incumbents rarely lose their primaries. 

The highest profile loss came in the governor’s race, where Trump-backed former Sen. David Perdue lost to Gov. Brian Kemp by a whopping 52 points. Kemp went on to win re-election in November. 

Trump’s preferred candidates for Secretary of state, attorney general and insurance commissioner also lost their primaries to the GOP incumbents. And, Trump saw losses in primaries in two open House seats in Georgia, but he later endorsed those GOP nominees ahead of the general election. 

The Peach State was also key to Trump’s loss in 2020, when he lost Georgia by nearly 12,000 votes. He was the first Republican to lose Georgia since 1992.