Voters in New Hampshire picked nominees for a House seat opened by a retirement, and Republicans backed a former senator’s bid in the governor’s race. In Delaware, a senator’s retirement produced no drama in the primary but left the state’s lone House seat vacant, and there was competition for the nominations to fill it. A Rhode Island senator, meanwhile, swatted away a primary challenger who put his own money into challenging him.
Here’s a rundown of the results Tuesday in the final round of congressional primaries before the Nov. 5 election.
New Hampshire’s 2nd District
Maggie Goodlander, a former official in President Joe Biden’s administration, defeated Colin Van Ostern, a former member of the New Hampshire executive council, in a testy Democratic primary for the nomination to replace retiring Rep. Ann McLane Kuster.
Goodlander had 62 percent of the vote when The Associated Press called the race at 8:41 p.m.
Lily Tang Williams, chair of the New Hampshire Asian American Coalition, won the 13-candidate Republican primary. She had 34 percent when the race was called at 10:28 p.m., followed by unsuccessful 2022 Senate primary candidate Vikram Mansharamani, who had 27 percent.
Goodlander’s win brings an end to one of the most contentious Democratic primaries of the year. She will now try to hold on to a battleground seat, albeit one in which Democrats are favored. She had significantly more cash on hand than her opponents as of Aug. 21.
Inside Elections with Nathan L. Gonzales rates the race as Likely Democratic.
New Hampshire’s 1st District
Businessman Russell Prescott, a former member of the Executive Council, won a seven-way Republican primary to challenge Democratic Rep. Chris Pappas in New Hampshire’s 1st District.
Prescott was declared the winner shortly after midnight and had 26 percent when counting halted at 2 a.m. Wednesday with an estimated 96 percent of the vote in. Political newcommer Hollie Novoletsky was second with 24 percent and Manchester Alderman Joseph Levasseur had 23 percent.
Pappas faced a challenger but led by 90 percentage points when he was declared the winner moments after the polls statewide had closed at 8 p.m.
While New Hampshire’s 1st District is historically more competitive than the 2nd, the primary contest there didn’t gather the same attention as the Democratic fight to succeed Kuster.
Inside Elections rates the race as Likely Democratic. Pappas, who is seeking a fourth term, had $2.1 million on hand as of Aug. 21.
Rhode Island Senate
Sen. Sheldon Whitehouse easily turned back a challenge from a self-funding fellow Democrat, while the Republican primary to face him in November was won by state Rep. Patricia Morgan.
Morgan led Army veteran and former city official Raymond McKay, 65 percent to 35 percent, when the AP called the race at 8:18 p.m.
Whitehouse was ahead of Bristol investment adviser Michael Costa by 67 points when his primary was called at 8:10.
Costa, who has never held elective office before, loaned his campaign $200,000. He ran on a platform that called for 12-year term limits for members of Congress. Whitehouse has served in the Senate since 2007.
The race is rated Solid Democratic by Inside Elections.
Delaware At-Large House District
Sarah McBride, a Delaware state senator, won the Democratic primary for the state’s at-large House seat, setting her up to potentially be the first openly transgender member of Congress if she wins in November.
McBride had 84 percent of the vote when the AP called the three-way race at 8:41 p.m. Businessman Earl Cooper had 13 percent and financier Elias Weir had 3 percent.
She will face Republican John Whalen, who was leading his opponent Donyale Hall by nearly 10 percentage points when the AP called the race at 9:16 p.m.
Inside Elections rates the race as Solid Democratic.
The seat is open because Rep. Lisa Blunt Rochester is running for the Senate to succeed retiring Sen. Thomas R. Carper. Blunt Rochester was unopposed in the Democratic primary, as was the Republican she will face in November, Eric Hansen. Inside Elections rates the race as Solid Democratic.
New Hampshire governor
Former New Hampshire Sen. Kelly Ayotte won the Republican primary for governor, a seat that’s open after GOP Gov. Chris Sununu opted not to seek a fifth term.
Ayotte had 69 percent of the vote when the AP called the race at 8 p.m. Chuck Morse, the former state Senate president who lost a Republican primary for Senate in 2022, had 28 percent and four other candidates shared the rest of the vote.
Ayotte served one term in the Senate before she was defeated by Sen. Maggie Hassan in 2016.
Former Manchester Mayor Joyce Craig won the three-candidate Democratic primary race. She had nearly 49 percent when the race was called at 9:48 p.m., followed by Executive Councilor Cinde Warmington, with 41 percent.
Inside Elections rates the race in November as a Toss-up.
Daniela Altimari contributed to this report.
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