Rep. Ilhan Omar easily beat a challenger who nearly ousted her two years ago, and voters picked nominees for open House seats and some races that will be on the battleground in November as Connecticut, Minnesota, Vermont and Wisconsin held primaries Tuesday. There was also a very belated final call on a race in Utah, which held its primary in June.
Here’s a rundown of the key races:
Minnesota
Omar beats Samuels again: Omar, a Democrat part of the group of progressives known as the “squad,” defeated three primary challengers on Tuesday, clearing her greatest hurdle to winning a fourth term in November.
Omar led with 56 percent of the vote when the AP called the race at 10:39 p.m. ET. Don Samuels, a former Minneapolis City Council member who was her best-funded opponent, had 43 percent in the four-candidate field.
This was the second consecutive primary in which Omar defeated Samuels. In 2022, she won by about 2,500 votes.
Omar’s victory comes after two fellow House progressives lost high-profile primary races earlier this year. New York Rep. Jamaal Bowman and Missouri Rep. Cori Bush were both targeted by pro-Israel groups that spent heavily to support their opponents. But those groups didn’t get involved in the 5th District matchup.
Still, outside groups like the Working Families Party PAC and National Nurses United for Patient Protection spent over half a million dollars to boost Omar. A group called Make a Difference MN spent $60,000 supporting Samuels and opposing Omar.
Omar will face Republican Dalia Al-Aqidi, who was unopposed in her primary, in November.
Teirab to take on Craig: Republican Joe Teirab will face Democratic Rep. Angie Craig in Minnesota’s most competitive House race this fall.
Teirab had nearly 76 percent of the vote when the AP called the race at 9:53 p.m. Eastern. Tayler Rahm, a criminal defense attorney, remained on the ballot after he dropped out of the race last month to serve as an adviser to former President Donald Trump’s campaign in Minnesota.
The National Republican Congressional Committee named Teirab to its “Young Guns” program for promising candidates in competitive districts last month. Similarly, Craig was named to the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee’s list of “Frontliners.”
Craig, who had 91 percent of the vote against challenger Marc Ives when the Democratic primary was called at 9:50 p.m., begins the general election campaign with $4.1 million on hand. Teirab had $536,000.
Neither of the party committees or the super PACs associated with both parties’ House leadership included the 2nd District in their previously announced ad reservations for the fall, although they could choose to run ads there later on.
Matchup set for Phillips seat: Democrat Kelly Morrison, a former Minnesota state senator, will face Republican Tad Jude, a former state legislator and former Minnesota District Court judge, in a race to succeed Democratic Rep. Dean Phillips.
Phillips opted not to seek reelection to the 3rd District when he launched a presidential campaign earlier this year, which ended after Super Tuesday.
Inside Elections rates the race as Solid Democratic.
Wisconsin
Hovde coasts to nomination: The Senate matchup between Republican banker Eric Hovde and Democratic Sen. Tammy Baldwin is official.
Hovde, who was backed by the Senate GOP leadership, won a three-way primary on Tuesday in which he faced nominal opposition. He had 90 percent of the vote when The Associated Press called the race at 9:20 p.m. Eastern. Baldwin was unopposed in the Democratic primary.
The two have essentially been running against each other since Hovde entered the race earlier this year, and the Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee sent out a memo to reporters labeling “California Bank owner” Hovde as a “walking conflict of interest.” Republicans say Baldwin, who is seeking her third term and served three terms in the House before that, as someone who has been in Congress for too long and say she’s “ducking” voters.
Baldwin had $6.3 million on hand as of July 24 compared to Hovde’s $3.1 million available. He’s loaned his campaign $13 million so far. Outside groups have already spent $25 million on the race, a figure that’s likely to go up after the matchup is solidified.
Inside Elections with Nathan L. Gonzales rates the race as Lean Democratic.
Democrats battle to face Van Orden: Democrat Rebecca Cooke will challenge GOP Rep. Derrick Van Orden in November after she won a three-way Democratic primary.
Cooke, who previously served on the state’s Economic Development Corporation Board, had 49 percent of the vote when the AP called the race at 11:45 p.m. ET.
State Rep. Katrina Shankland had 42 percent.
Democrats hoping to oust Van Orden will now seek to move past a contentious primary, which grew heated between Shankland and Cooke.
Cooke begins at a fundraising deficit to Van Orden. He had $2.5 million on hand as of July 24, while she had $591,000. WelcomePAC, a group which supports centrist Democrats, spent $238,000 supporting Cooke and opposing Van Orden ahead of the primary contest.
Inside Elections rates the race as Likely Republican.
Barca to try comeback against Steil: GOP Rep. Bryan Steil will face former Rep. Peter Barca, who is attempting to return to Congress after 30 years.
Both were unopposed in their primaries on Tuesday.
Democrats are hoping that Barca, who served in the state Assembly and in Gov. Tony Evers’ cabinet after a short stint in Congress in the 1990s, will make the 1st District more competitive. House Majority PAC, a super PAC with ties to House Democratic leadership, reserved ad time for the fall for the race.
Steil had $4.7 million on hand as of July 24, while Barca had $655,000 at that point.
Inside Elections rates the race as Likely Republican.
Gallagher seat closer to being filled: Tony Wied won two Republican primaries on Tuesday.
Wied, a former gas station owner backed by Trump, won a special primary to fill the unexpired term of Republican Rep. Mike Gallagher, who resigned in April, and a primary to run for a full term beginning in January.
Wied was leading the race for the full term with almost 40 percent of the vote when the AP called the race at 11:35 p.m. ET. Roger Roth, a former state senator, had 36 percent and state Sen. Andre Jacque had 25 percent.
The special election to fill the rest of the current term will coincide with the general election on Nov. 5.
Democrat Kristin Lyerly, an obstetrician, was unopposed in the primaries for both races. She’ll be an underdog, as the 8th District would have voted for Trump by 16 points in 2020, according to Inside Elections, which rates the race as Solid Republican.
Vermont
No primaries for Senate, House seats: Sen. Bernie Sanders, an independent who caucuses with Democrats, will face Republican Gerald Malloy as he seeks a fourth term. Neither candidate faced a primary opponent on Tuesday. The 82-year-old incumbent will be favored in November.
Democratic Rep. Becca Balint, a freshman, will face Republican Mark Coester, as she seeks a second term. Both were unopposed in their primaries. Inside Elections rates the race as Solid Democratic.
Connecticut
Rematch in 5th District: Republican George Logan is running against three-term Democratic Rep. Jahana Hayes, who won in 2022 by less than 1 percentage point two years ago. Both were unopposed in the primary. The race in November is rated Lean Democratic by Inside Elections.
Himes, Murphy challengers picked: Physician Michael Goldstein beat tea party activist Bob MacGuffie for the Republican nomination to take on Democratic Rep. Jim Himes in the 4th District. Goldstein had nearly 54 percent when the AP called the race at 10:48 p.m.
In the Senate race, Navy veteran and pub owner Matt Corey beat Beacon Falls First Selectman Gerry Smith in the Republican nomination to take on Sen. Christopher S. Murphy.
Corey had 54 percent when the AP called the race at 9:46 p.m.
Utah
A belated race call was also made by the AP Tuesday night after Colby Jenkins conceded his loss in the Republican primary to Rep. Celeste Maloy in the June 25 primary in the 2nd District.
Jenkins, who finished 174 votes behind Maloy, lost an appeal to the state Supreme Court seeking to get rejected mail-in-ballots counted by arguing the state’s postmark deadline was unconstitutional because they depend on where mail is processed. Some ballots had gone through a processing center in Las Vegas.
In a statement posted on X, Jenkins called the ruling “a sad day for Democracy” that “undermines fundamental voting rights.” He also said he contacted Maloy and congratulated her.
Maloy, who was endorsed by former President Donald Trump, won a special election for the seat in November to succeed her former boss, Republican Rep. Chris Stewart, who had resigned. Jenkins, who was a Green Beret in the Army Special Forces, had been backed by Sen. Mike Lee.
Daniela Altimari contributed to this report.
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