Former Greene opponent wins GOP primary runoff for Loudermilk seat

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Republican John Cowan is projected to defeat rival Rob Adkerson, the former chief of staff to retiring Rep. Barry Loudermilk (R-Ga.), in the primary runoff to replace the incumbent, according to Decision Desk HQ.

Cowan — a neurosurgeon who ran unsuccessfully for a neighboring House district against former Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene (R) in 2020 — and Adkerson advanced from the initial May primary after neither candidate earned the majority support needed to win the 11th Congressional District primary outright.

President Trump, who flipped battleground Georgia by two points in 2024, has notably stayed out of the primary. Loudermilk had backed Adkerson as his successor.

Loudermilk’s decision to retire, ending his congressional career after more than a decade in the House, marked the 29th GOP House lawmaker to decline seeking reelection in 2026, as Republicans fight to keep their majority in the lower chamber.

Cowan is now on the pathway to win the House seat this fall. Cook Political Report rates the seat as solidly Republican.

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Barry Loudermilk

John Cowan

Marjorie Taylor Greene

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