WASHINGTON (AP) — The contours of one of this year's premier U.S. Senate races took shape Tuesday night in Iowa, while Democrats chose a nominee for a U.S. House race in New Jersey that could decide who controls the chamber after November's elections.
But much of the focus is on California, home to Hollywood but not a governor's race packing much star power. It's a somewhat different story in Los Angeles, where a reality television personality is running
for mayor as the city prepares to host the Olympics.
Here are some early takeaways from primary elections in California, Iowa, Montana, New Jersey, New Mexico and South Dakota.
Democrats stunned by how President Donald Trump has remade American politics have spent the past decade debating which type of candidate is best positioned to energize voters and help the party win elections, not moral victories.
Iowa marked the latest stop in this sometimes agonizing conversation. The party’s establishment supported Josh Turek, a state representative who presented a compelling personal biography that included competing for the U.S. in four Paralympics. State Sen. Zach Wahls, meanwhile, offered himself as a more disruptive player, expressly refusing to back Chuck Schumer as Democratic leader if he were elected.
Democratic voters united behind Turek, who will face Republican Ashley Hinson in the fall.
At this point of the primary calendar, many of the party’s most fractious races are in the mirror. But the results in Iowa could be closely watched in Michigan, where one of the last major Democratic primaries will unfold on Aug. 4. Rep. Haley Stevens is emerging as the establishment candidate there vying against state Sen. Mallory McMorrow and progressive Abdul El-Sayed.
Both races are important for Democrats increasingly bullish about retaking the Senate majority in November. To get there, they must protect their seat in Michigan while looking for pickup opportunities in places like Iowa.
The results in the fall could have longer-term implications as Democrats look to rebuild their standing in the Midwest, which swung to Trump in 2024.
One of the most closely watched U.S. House races is set.
Democrats nominated Rebecca Bennett to take on incumbent Republican Rep. Tom Kean Jr. in New Jersey’s 7th congressional district.
The district, which stretches from the New York City suburbs to the Pennsylvania border, is critical for Republicans as they defend a narrow majority in Congress. The race was always going to be one of the most competitive on a map that has been increasingly gerrymandered to protect both parties. But it’s under particularly close scrutiny because of Kean’s extended and unexplained medical absence.
He hasn’t cast a vote in Congress since March 5, missing more than 100 votes. Bennett, a former Navy pilot, was among the Democrats in the primary who made the absence and the lack of clarity surrounding it an issue, arguing Kean wasn’t around to protect money for a new rail tunnel connecting New Jersey and New York City. That line of attack will likely only grow heading into the general election.
Trump reiterated his endorsement of Kean on Monday. And the congressman released a statement Tuesday saying he is “focused on my recovery.”
“Under the advice of healthcare professionals, I will transition from virtual work to in person work within a matter of weeks,” he said. “At that time I will be completely transparent as to the nature of my medical condition.”
The stage is set for Deb Haaland to make history this fall after the former U.S. interior secretary secured the Democratic nomination for governor in New Mexico.
Haaland, who served under President Joe Biden for four years, was the first Native American to serve as a presidential cabinet secretary. And this fall, the citizen of Laguna Pueblo could become the first Native American woman elected governor of any U.S. state.
She defeated Albuquerque-based District Attorney Sam Bregman, the father of Chicago Cubs All-Star Alex Bregman, in a Democratic primary campaign that emphasized her ancestral roots in addition to lowering costs and her governing experience.
Three Republicans were vying to face Haaland in the general election.
Ronald Reagan. Arnold Schwarzenegger. Jerry Brown. Gavin Newsom.
The governor's office in California typically attracts some of the highest-wattage names in politics, but not this year.
Former Vice President Kamala Harris and Sen. Alex Padilla took a pass on the race. And with Newsom barred from seeking a third term, the campaign to succeed him turned into a sprawling, often messy contest.
In the final stretch, much of the attention has focused on Democrats Xavier Becerra, the former congressman and state attorney general who was also health secretary under President Joe Biden, and Tom Steyer, a billionaire known for his climate activism. Republican Steve Hilton is campaigning with Trump's endorsement.
Under California's primary system, all candidates appear on a single ballot and the top two finishers advance to the November general election, regardless of party. The absence of a front-runner incentivized virtually anyone with political ambition and a modicum of organization to join the race, leaving Democrats worried that their candidates would divide the vote and ultimately be shut out of the fall campaign. But those fears have eased in the primary's closing weeks, with the party now expecting to secure at least one slot on the November ballot.
The results could offer insight about how voters are feeling in a state where Democrats have dominated statewide elections for two decades.
In a city still recovering from the most destructive wildfire in its history, Mayor Karen Bass is in a tough fight for reelection.
The mayor, who is a frequent target of Trump's criticism, was in Ghana as part of a presidential delegation when the blaze began. She has acknowledged mistakes but has centered her campaign around a message of recovery and progress.
Bass is facing a spirited challenge from reality television personality Spencer Pratt, who has blamed Bass for presiding over destruction that claimed his own home. Pratt, who rose to fame on “The Hills,” has shared videos created by artificial intelligence that show him taking on a superhero persona to battle street criminals and Democratic politicians.
The race is officially nonpartisan, but Bass is a Democrat, as is progressive city council member Nithya Raman, who made a last-minute decision to challenge her one-time ally. Pratt is a registered Republican who has received a nod of approval — if not an outright endorsement — from Trump.
Unless a candidate receives a majority of the vote in the primary, the top two will advance to a general election in November.
Los Angeles hasn't elected a Republican mayor since Richard Riordan won his second term in 1997, and the results will be closely watched for signs of dissatisfaction with liberal urban governance. The winner will emerge as a national and global figure as the city prepares to host the Olympics in 2028.
Democrats are hopeful they can mount a serious challenge against Republican Senate candidates in deep-red South Dakota and Montana this fall. But their best hope may not be the Democrats featured on Tuesday’s primary ballot.
Both states feature higher-profile independent candidates, who, because they’re not running to represent a political party, do not have to compete in primary elections.
In Montana, there are five Democrats competing for the party’s Senate nomination. But independent Seth Bodnar, the former University of Montana president, has raised more money than all of them combined. He’s even significantly out-raised Trump-backed Republican candidate Kurt Alme.
In South Dakota, three-term incumbent Republican Mike Rounds is expected to cruise to his party’s nomination on Tuesday. He’ll face Democrat Julian Beaudion, a former highway patrol trooper and small business owner, on the November ballot. But it’s a former Democrat now running as an independent, Brian Bengs, a military veteran, who may be the tougher challenger.
