Primaries on Tuesday settled intraparty battles in Colorado, Illinois, Mississippi, New York, Oklahoma and Utah and filled a vacant seat in Nebraska.
Highlights of races involving vulnerable incumbents or open seats are below.
Colorado
O’Dea beats Hanks for Senate nod: Construction company owner Joe O’Dea won the Republican primary to challenge Democratic Sen. Michael Bennet in November. O’Dea was leading state Rep. Ron Hanks 57 percent to 43 percent when The Associated Press called the race at 7:35 p.m. Mountain time. Inside Elections with Nathan L. Gonzales rates the November race Solid Democratic, but National Republicans think it could be competitive in a climate that favors Republicans, and their hopes of winning the seat increase with the more moderate O’Dea as the nominee.
Boebert brushes off challenge: Lightning rod GOP Rep. Lauren Boebert survived a primary in the 3rd District against state Sen. Don Coram, who touted his ability to work across party lines. Boebert had 64 percent to Coram’s 36 percent when the AP called the race at 7:36 p.m. Mountain time.
Lamborn renominated: Rep. Doug Lamborn defeated three Republican primary challengers to retain his 5th District seat. Lamborn had 50 percent of the vote when The Associated Press called the race at 7:52 p.m. Mountain time. State Rep. Dave Williams was in second with 31 percent.
GOP picks Aadland to vie in 7th District: Army combat veteran Erik Aadland, who has also worked in the oil and gas industry, won the Republican nomination for the open seat left by retiring Democratic Rep. Ed Perlmutter in the newly redrawn 7th District. Aadland was leading the three-way race with 48 percent when the AP called the race at 8:18 p.m. Mountain time. Economist Tim Reichert was in second with 36 percent. State Sen. Brittany Pettersen ran unopposed in the Democratic primary. Inside Elections rates the November race Likely Democratic.
Kirkmeyer picked new seat: State Sen Barbara Kirkmeyer won a four-way Republican primary in the newly created 8th District. Kirkmeyer had 41 percent of the vote when the AP called the race at 8:12 p.m. Mountain time. Thornton mayor and oil and gas engineer Jan Kulman was second with 23 percent, followed by Weld County Commissioner Lori Saine, who has advocated for President Joe Biden’s impeachment, with 20 percent. Democrat Yadira Caraveo, a pediatrician and state lawmaker, ran unopposed. Inside Elections rates the race a Toss-up.
Illinois
Casten beats Newman: Democratic Rep. Sean Casten prevailed over Rep. Marie Newman in a primary for the 6th District nomination. Casten flipped a seat in the 2018 blue wave, and Newman beat longtime Rep. Dan Lipinski in a 2020 primary. Casten had 63 percent of the vote to Newman’s 33 percent as of 9:06 p.m. Central time, when the AP called the race.
Miller defeats Rodney Davis: Freshman GOP Rep. Mary Miller, who had former President Donald Trump’s endorsement, defeated five-term Rep. Rodney Davis for their party’s nomination in the 15th District. Miller had 58 percent of the vote to Davis’ 42 percent when The Associated Press called the race at 9:48 p.m. Central time.
Danny K. Davis holds on: Democratic Rep. Danny K. Davis, who has represented Chicago in the House for 13 terms, won the nomination for another Tuesday over a challenge from progressive Kina Collins in the 7th District. Davis took 52 percent of the vote to Collins’ 45 percent in a race the AP called at 11:33 p.m. Central time.
Jackson wins in 1st District: Jonathan Jackson, the son of the Rev. Jesse Jackson, prevailed in a field of 17 Democrats to take the nomination in the solid-blue 1st District seat now held by retiring Rep. Bobby L. Rush. He had 28 percent, with Chicago City Council member Pat Dowell at 19 percent, in a race the AP called at 11:11 p.m. Central time. Inside Elections rates the race in November as Solid Democratic.
Ramirez backed in 3rd District: State Rep. Delia Ramirez, whose endorsements included the pro-abortion rights EMILY’s List and Massachusetts Sen. Elizabeth Warren, won the Democratic nomination in Illinois’ newly drawn 3rd District, an open seat. She had 66 percent of the vote in the four-candidate field when the AP called the race at 9:10 p.m. Central time. Ramirez will face Republican Justin Burau in November in a race that Inside Elections rates Solid Democratic.
Krishnamoorthi cruises: Democratic Rep. Raja Krishnamoorthi beat back a primary challenge in the 8th District Tuesday from IT consultant Junaid Ahmed, who had raised more than $1 million. Krishnamoorthi had a huge financial advantage with nearly $13 million cash on hand, and had captured 71 percent of the vote when the race was called by the AP at 9:14 p.m. Central time. Krishnamoorthi will face marketing executive Chris Dargis in the fall in a race that Inside Elections rates as race Solid Democratic.
Budzinski gets Democrats’ backing in 13th: Democrat Nikki Budzinski, a one-time aide to the state’s governor, beat businessman and former basketball player David Palmer for their party’s nomination in the open 13th District. She had 77 to Palmer’s 23 percent as of 10 p.m. Central time when the AP called the race. The Republican race was close. Regan Deering, who chaired the Decatur Public School Foundation, had a narrow lead over former federal prosecutor Jessie Reising but the race had not been called. Inside Elections rates the race in November as Lean Democratic.
GOP backs King in redrawn 17th: Republican Esther Joy King, who has the backing of the House GOP campaign arm, easily won her party’s nomination for the 17th District, where Democratic Rep. Cheri Bustos is retiring. Former TV meteorologist Eric Sorensen beat six Democrats for the nomination to face her. Inside Elections rates the November matchup as Tilt Democratic.
Mississippi
Guest stages big comeback: After finishing second in the June 7 Republican primary, Rep. Michael Guest came back in a runoff to beat a challenger who questioned his conservative credentials and commitment to former President Donald Trump. Guest, a former prosecutor who describes himself as a “conservative Christian leader,” had 66 percent of the vote in the 3rd District when The Associated Press called the race at 8:46 p.m. Eastern time. Navy veteran Michael Cassidy, who had attacked Guest for his vote for an independent commission to investigate the Jan. 6, 2021, attack on the Capitol, got 34 percent. Guest benefited from a surge of support from his colleagues in Washington after he finished almost 300 votes behind Cassidy in the primary.
Ethics charges catch up with Palazzo: GOP Rep Steven Palazzo lost his seat in runoff against a challenger who attacked him for alleged ethical lapses and for “no-show” representation in Washington. Palazzo had 47 percent of the vote to 53 percent for Jackson County Sheriff Mike Ezell when The Associated Press called the race at 8:55 Eastern time. Palazzo had finished first in the seven-way primary on June 7 with 32 percent of the vote. But Ezell, who had 25 percent, was endorsed by the remaining challengers. The House Ethics Committee is reviewing allegations Palazzo spent campaign money on personal expenses, asked official staff to perform personal and campaign-related tasks, and misused his position to boost his brother’s Naval career.
Nebraska
Flood captures vacant seat: Republican state Sen. Mike Flood beat Democratic state Sen. Patty Pansing Brooks in the special election to fill the 1st District vacancy left by Rep. Jeff Fortenberry’s resignation in March following his conviction for lying to authorities about illegal campaign contributions. Flood got 53 percent to Pansing Brooks’ 47 percent and when the AP called the race at 10:24 p.m. Central time. The two also won the May primary for a full term in the seat and will face each other again in November.
New York
Suozzi loses bid for governor: Democratic Rep. Tom Suozzi finished third in his run for the Democratic nomination for governor. He had 12 percent of the vote, to Gov. Kathy Hochul’s 65 percent and New York City Public Advocate Jumaane Williams’ 22 percent when The Associated Press called the race at 9:25 p.m. Eastern time.
Zeldin wins GOP nomination: Rep. Lee Zeldin won the Republican nomination for governor and will face Hochul in November. Zeldin had 43 percent when the AP called the race at 10:30 p.m. Andrew Giuliani, the son of former New York City Mayor Rudy Giuliani, was second with 24 percent.
Oklahoma
Lankford easily renominated: Oklahoma Sen. James Lankford easily defeated Tulsa minister Jackson Lahmeyer, whose primary challenge had attracted support from some prominent Trump boosters, including former national security adviser Michael Flynn and former Trump campaign advisers Roger Stone and Rudy Giuliani. Lankford had 73 percent of the vote to Lahmeyer’s 21 percent when the AP called the race at 7:24 p.m. Central Time. A third Republican on the ballot, attorney Joan Farr, had 6 percent.
Mullin in runoff for Inhofe seat nomination: Rep. Markwayne Mullin advanced to an Aug. 23 runoff against former House speaker T.W. Shannon in the GOP primary for the remainder of Sen. James M. Inhofe’s term after he resigns in January. None of the 13 Republicans running got a majority in the primary to win the nomination outright. Mullin was leading with 44.5 percent of the vote when the AP made the call he would be in the runoff at 9:18 p.m. Central time. Shannon, who ran in a special GOP primary for the state’s other Senate seat in 2014, finished with 18 percent and was declared the second-place finisher at 10:11 p.m. Scott Pruitt, who served as administrator of the Environmental Protection Agency during the Trump administration, ran fifth with 5 percent. Former Democratic Rep. Kendra Horn ran unopposed for the Democratic nomination. Trump won Oklahoma with 65 percent of the vote in 2020 and the race in November is rated Solid Republican by Inside Elections with Nathan L. Gonzales.
GOP runoff for Mullin seat: State Rep. Avery Frix and State Sen. Josh Breechen are headed to an Aug. 23 runoff in the Republican primary to fill the 2nd District seat Mullin is giving up after none of the 14 candidates on the ballot managed to win the majority of the vote. With an estimated 99 percent of the vote counted, Frix had 14.7 percent, followed by Brecheen’s 13.8 percent. Democrat Naomi Andrews was uncontested in the primary. Inside Elections rates the November race Solid Republican.
Utah
Mike Lee wins primary: Utah Republican Sen. Mike Lee had no problem winning renomination Tuesday, beating former state lawmaker Becky Edwards and one-time gubernatorial aide Ally Isom. Lee had 57 percent of the vote to Edwards’ 34 percent and Isom’s 8 percent when the race was called by the AP at 8:20 p.m. Mountain time. By late morning on Wednesday, Lee’s total had grown to 62 percent, but given that more than one-third of GOP primary voters didn’t back him, it may indicate a bigger challenge ahead. In November, he’ll face independent candidate (and former Republican) Evan McMullin in November. The Club for Growth, Americans for Prosperity and other outside groups disclosed spending about $500,000 in support of Lee during the primary.
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