Bee Nguyen wins Georgia primary to take on Trump foe Raffensperger

State Rep. Bee Nguyen is projected to win the Democratic nomination to take on Georgia Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger (R), according to The Associated Press.

Nguyen’s victory came in a Tuesday runoff against former state Rep. Dee Dawkins-Haigler. 

Nguyen, who has the endorsement of Georgia Democratic gubernatorial nominee Stacey Abrams, came in first in a May 24 primary, finishing nearly 26 points ahead of Dawkins-Haigler. 

But she still fell short of the majority support she needed to win the nomination outright, sending her and Dawkins-Haigler into a head-to-head primary runoff. 

Nguyen’s victory on Tuesday sets her up to face the Republican who has emerged as one of former President Trump’s top political targets. Raffensperger earned Trump’s ire after he rebuffed the former president’s pleas to help him overturn the results of the 2020 election in Georgia.

Raffensperger, who testified before the House Jan. 6 committee earlier Tuesday, overcame a Trump-backed primary challenge from Rep. Jody Hice (R-Ga.) last month. 

While Nguyen is expected to face an uphill battle in her campaign against Raffensperger, the incumbent secretary of state could run into trouble if he’s unable to rally the support of Trump’s ultra-conservative base in November. 

–Updated on June 22 at 6:08 a.m.