Primaries in five states on Tuesday determine who faces off in November for battleground and open Senate seats and whether some House Republicans who voted for impeachment last year go any further in their reelection bids.
Here are highlights of the Senate and House races that took place in Arizona, Kansas, Michigan, Missouri and Washington. This report will be updated.
Michigan
Stevens tops Levin: In the only primary Tuesday where two incumbents faced each other, Rep. Haley Stevens beat fellow Democratic Rep. Andy Levin in Michigan’s 11th District. Levin’s defeat means the next Congress will be the first since the late 1970s without a member of his family in it. Stevens had 60 percent to Levin’s 40 percent when The Associated Press called the race at 10:46 p.m. Eastern. The two ended up facing each other after the state lost a district through reapportionment, but more of the redesigned 11th District came from Stevens’ current district than Levin’s. She not only raised $2.1 million more than Levin, outside groups also spent a combined $8.2 million to support her and oppose Levin, while outside spending to support him and oppose her totaled less than $1.6 million. Financial analyst Mark Ambrose won the Republican primary. The November race for the seat is rated Solid Democratic by Inside Elections with Nathan L. Gonzales.
Meijer ousted: Freshman Rep. Peter Meijer, who voted to impeach President Donald Trump after the Jan. 6 , 2021, riot at the Capitol, lost the 3rd District Republican primary to John Gibbs, a former Department of Housing and Urban Development official who had former Trump’s backing. Gibbs had 52 percent of the vote to Meijer’s 48 percent in a race the AP called at 3:03 a.m. Eastern on Wednesday. Gibbs will face Democrat Hillary Scholten, who was unopposed on Tuesday and who ran for the seat in 2020. The district became more favorable for Democrats in redistricting, and the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee tried to boost Gibbs in the primary by purchasing TV ad time attacking him for his support for Trump. Inside Elections rates the race as a Toss-up.
Kildee to face former TV anchor: Michigan Democratic Rep. Dan Kildee will face Paul Junge, a former television anchor who also worked in U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services during the Trump administration. Junge had 54 percent in the 8th District GOP primary to businessman Matthew Seely’s 24 percent and retired businesswoman Candice Miller’s 23 percent. The AP called the race at 12:12 a.m. Wednesday Eastern time. Junge has already been named to the National Republican Congressional Committee’s “Young Guns” program for promising candidates who meet certain credentials. Kildee is part of the DCCC’s “Frontline” program for vulnerable incumbents. Inside Elections rates the race Tilt Democratic.
James, Marlinga win in open 10th District: Army Veteran John James secured the Republican nomination for Michigan’s 1oth District with 86 percent of the vote in a race called at 12:10 Eastern Time. James, the 2020 GOP nominee for Senate, is set to face Carl Marlinga, a former Macomb County circuit judge, who won the Democratic nomination in a five-person field with 48 percent of the vote. That race was called at 1:17 a.m. Eastern. Inside Elections rates the race as Tilt Republican.
Thanedar nominated for open Detroit-area seat: Michigan state Rep. Shri Thanedar won the nine-way Democratic primary in the open 13th District. He had 28 percent of the vote when the AP called the race at 10:48 a.m. Eastern on Wednesday. Thanedar’s nomination raises the possibility that Michigan will not have a Black Democratic member in its congressional delegation next year. Thanedar defeated state Sen. Adam Hollier, who had 24 percent; attorney Portia Roberson, who had 17 percent; and John Conyers, the son of the late former Rep. John Conyers Jr., who had 9 percent. Martell Bivings was unchallenged in the Republican primary. The November race is rated Solid Democratic by Inside Elections.
Slotkin to face Barrett in 7th: Michigan Democratic Rep. Elissa Slotkin will face Republican state Sen. Tom Barrett in November. Both were unopposed on the primary ballot Tuesday, although Barrett faced an opponent who ran a write-in campaign. Slotkin will begin the campaign with a major cash advantage. She had $6.6 million on hand as of July 13, while Barrett had $447,000. Inside Elections rates the race Tilt Democratic.
Missouri
Schmitt is the top Eric: State Attorney General Eric Schmitt won the crowded Republican primary to replace retiring GOP Sen. Roy Blunt in Missouri. Schmitt was leading with 45 percent of the vote, followed by Rep. Vicky Hartzler with 23 percent and scandal-plagued former Gov. Eric Greitens with 19 percent when the AP called the race at 10 p.m. Eastern. Rep. Billy Long, who like Hartzler gave up his House seat to seek the Senate nomination, had less than 4 percent. Twenty-one candidates were on the ballot. Schmitt campaigned on the lawsuits he had filed as attorney general to advance conservative positions on such issues as abortion, COVID-19 and immigration. Trump hinted throughout the campaign that he favored Greitens, while national Republicans argued that a Greitens nomination would put a safe seat in play. On Tuesday, Trump issued an ambiguous endorsement for “Eric” that Schmitt and Greitens each claimed was for them.
Democrat Trudy Busch Valentine, an Anheuser-Busch beer family heiress, won the Democratic primary for Senate, beating second-place finisher Lucas Kunce, a populist Marine veteran, 43 percent to 38 percent in the 11-candidate field. The AP called the race at 10:11 p.m. Central time. Busch Valentine, who holds a nursing degree from St. Louis University, campaigned on a plan to strengthen the middle class and said she was inspired to enter politics by her 36-year-old son’s death from an opioid overdose in 2020. She largely funded her campaign with more than $5 million of her own money. Former Jan. 6 committee investigator John Wood, a former Republican, has also been preparing to run as an independent. The race in November is rated Solid Republican.
Bush easily beats challenger in 1st District: Democratic Rep. Cori Bush, a member of the so-called Squad of progressive House Democrats, fended off a primary challenge from a more moderate Missouri state lawmaker Tuesday. Bush was leading state Sen. Steve Roberts 70 percent to 26 percent when AP called the race at 10:42 p.m. Eastern. Roberts, a 34-year-old attorney, argued that Bush was too busy being an activist to legislate, but he was dogged by allegations of sexual misconduct and groping that he said had no merit and had resurfaced as part of a political smear campaign against him. The race in November is rated Solid Democratic by Inside Elections.
GOP picks Alford in 4th District: Former Fox 4 TV anchor Mark Alford won the Republican primary for the seat Hartzler left open when she ran for Senate. Alford was leading Missouri state Sen. Richard Brattin 37 percent to 21 percent when the AP called the race at 11 p.m. Eastern. Democrat Jack Truman is uncontested in his party’s primary. The race in November is rated Solid Republican.
Burlison wins 7th District GOP race: Missouri state Sen. Eric Burlison won the GOP primary to fill the seat Long vacated to run for Senate. Burlison led former state Sen. Jay Wasson, 38 percent to 23 percent, in the eight-way race. The AP called the race at 10:13 Central time. Both promoted themselves as devotees of Trump, but Burlison had more support from national Republicans while Wasson touted his local support. Kristen Radaker Sheafer won the Democratic nomination. The race in November is rated Solid Republican.
Arizona
Masters to face Kelly for Senate: Trump-endorsed Blake Masters won the Republican primary to take on Democratic Sen. Mark Kelly in Arizona in November, a key contest in the GOP’s attempt to take control of the Senate. Masters is a firebrand conservative who favors the impeachment of both President Joe Biden and Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas and argues that when Republicans control the Justice Department that Biden medical adviser Anthony Fauci should be prosecuted for allegedly lying to Congress. Masters’ campaign has been effectively bankrolled through support from a super PAC backed by his former boss, venture capitalist Peter Thiel. But Kelly has been far-and-away the fundraising leader, helped by the lack of a competitive primary. Kelly had raised more than $54 million this cycle as of July 13, with Masters reporting $4.2 million. Masters was well ahead in the polling and received an additional boost among Republican voters from Trump’s endorsement over his closest rival, businessman Jim Lamon. Masters led Lamon 38 percent to 29 percent in the five-candidate field when the AP called the race at 12:34 a.m. Mountain Standard Time on Wednesday. State Attorney General Mark Brnovich came in third with 19 percent. The Senate race is rated a Toss-up by Inside Elections.
Crane to face O’Halleran: “Shark Tank” entrepreneur and former Navy SEAL Eli Crane has emerged from the crowded 2nd District Republican primary, and he will take on incumbent Democratic Rep. Tom O’Halleran in the fall. Crane had raised more than $2 million through the primary season, and won Trump’s endorsement, making him among the favorites heading into the primary. The Associated Press called the race at 10:48 a.m. Mountain Standard Time on Wednesday, when Crane had 34 percent to state Rep. Walt Blackman’s 24 percent and businessman Mark DeLuzio’s 18 percent. Four other candidates were in single digits. Crane, as he did during the primary, is sure to face questions about his residency, but the new map of the district favors the GOP. Inside Elections rates the race Lean Republican.
Ciscomani, Engel win in open 6th: Juan Ciscomani has won the GOP primary for what is effectively the seat being vacated by the upcoming retirement of Arizona Democratic Rep. Ann Kirkpatrick. Ciscomani, a former adviser to Gov. Doug Ducey, is one of the NRCC’s “Young Guns.” He took 46 percent of the voten in the five-candidate primary when the race was called. On the Democratic side, former state Sen. Kirsten Engel won the nomination with 60 percent. Both races were called by the AP at 10:41 p.m. Mountain Standard Time on Tuesday. Engel has the backing of EMILY’s List, which promotes Democratic women who support abortion rights, and she raised more than $1 million. Her nearest Democratic challenger, state Rep. Daniel Hernandez, also raised more than $1 million, and finished with 34 percent. The contest is rated Tilt Republican by Inside Elections.
Schweikert prevails: Rep. David Schweikert prevailed in a contentious and at times toxic Republican primary in his attempt to win a 7th term, this time in a district that Democrat Joe Biden would have narrowly won in 2020. The Associated Press called the race at 8:55 a.m. Mountain Standard Time on Wednesday when Schweikert was leading 43 percent to 33 percent over businessman Elijah Norton. In the Democratic primary, Jevin D. Hodge, who has led a Head Start program in Arizona and previously ran unsuccessfully for a seat on the Maricopa County Board of Supervisors, easily prevailed. He has the backing of the DCCC’s Red to Blue program. The 1st District race in November is rated Lean Republican by Inside Elections.
Washington
Murray-Smiley matchup set: Democratic Sen. Patty Murray, who is seeking a sixth term, easily made it out of the primary in Washington state Tuesday and will face off in November against Republican Tiffany Smiley, a political novice and veterans advocate whose husband lost his sight serving in the Army in Iraq. Murray and Smiley were the top two finishers in an all-party primary with 18 candidates in total, with Murray taking 54 percent of the vote to Smiley’s 32 percent. The AP called the race, which Inside Elections rates as Likely Democratic, at 8:23 p.m. Pacific time on Tuesday.
No call in 3rd, 4th districts: All-party primaries in with Reps. Jaime Herrera Beutler and Dan Newhouse — two Republican incumbents who voted to impeach Trump in 2021 — were too close to call on Wednesday morning. Newhouse led in Washington’s 4th District with an estimated 47 percent of the vote counted at 12:12 a.m., AP results showed, while Trump-backed challenger Loren Culp was third with 22 percent behind Democrat Doug White. In the 3rd District, with an estimated 57 percent of the vote counted as of 11:35 p.m. Tuesday, Democrat Marie Perez led with 32 percent, followed by Herrera Beutler at 25 percent and Trump-backed challenger Joe Kent with 20 percent. The top two finishers will make the November ballot.
Kansas
Adkins to face Davids: Businesswoman Amanda Adkins won the Republican primary to take on three-term Democratic Rep. Sharice Davids in Kansas’ 3rd District. Adkins, a former executive at a health information technology company and former chair of the state Republican Party, was leading John McCaughrean in the two-way contest, 77 percent to 23 percent, when the AP called the race at 10:40 p.m. Eastern. Adkins was the GOP nominee in 2020 when she lost to Davids, but the district has been redrawn since then to take in more conservative, rural areas in the west of the state in addition to the left-leaning Kansas City suburbs. Inside Elections rates the November race a Toss-up.
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