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How Trump endorsed candidates fared in Georgia primary runoffs

Two U.S. House candidates he endorsed were blown out in runoff primary elections.

ATLANTA — Former president Trump extended his losing streak in Georgia on Tuesday, after two U.S. House candidates he endorsed were blown out in runoff primary elections that represented a continuation of the drubbing he received in the state last month.

Vernon Jones, a former liberal Democrat turned MAGA warrior, was crushed by trucking company owner Mike Collins, while Jake Evans also lost in dramatic fashion to emergency room physician Rich McCormick.

Georgia has been a fixation of Trump’s ever since he lost the 2020 election and mounted a pressure campaign to get Republican leaders in the state to overturn results. When they rejected his efforts, Trump’s interests shifted to retribution. He recruited candidates to challenge Republican Gov. Brian Kemp, as well as GOP Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger, Georgia’s top elections official. Both incumbents prevailed.

RELATED: Georgia officials describe election threats, conspiracies to Jan. 6 panel

Trump’s meddling even went so far as to ask Jones, who initially ran for governor, to step aside for his handpicked candidate, former Sen. David Perdue, while offering his endorsement to Jones if he ran for an open House seat instead.

Jones, the former executive of DeKalb County, took him up on that offer and declared himself the “Black Donald Trump!” while challenging his opponents to ”Bring it on, liars!”

But Jones’ baggage, including accusations that he raped a woman in 2004, became a liability in the campaign. The woman dropped charges against Jones, but she never recanted. Jones said the sexual encounter was consensual. But Collins, whose late father represented Georgia in the U.S. House in the 1990s, handed out rape whistles to keep the allegation fresh.

Meanwhile, in the other Atlanta area runoff, McCormick, the doctor, easily beat Trump-backed Jake Evans. McCormick’s name was already well known to many in the district after narrowly losing a high-profile 2020 House race to Democrat Carolyn Bourdeaux. He was backed by the influential conservative group Club For Growth.

Overall in the Georgia primary, Trump-backed candidates won seven races and lost six. The former president endorsed a total of 13 candidates during the elections.

However, it should be noted that three of those candidates who won - Reps. Allen, Carter, and Loudermilk - all ran unopposed. Of the candidates who faced opponents in the Peach State, only four won their races.

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