Stephen Fowler

We call them our martyrs and our heroes.

Good morning.

Yes and no.

I mean, Thomas Massey 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 Gellerin.

And 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 Massey 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.

Several of them still won't be decided for another month because of runoffs, like the very, very expensive governor contest where billionaire health care 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 John 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.

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.