The Democratic Senate race between Rep. Haley Stevens and former public health official Abdul El-Sayed is one of the clearest tests yet of the party’s future.
El-Sayed is a progressive who’s run against much of the Democratic machine. Stevens has establishment support, and she’s backed by roughly $30 million from the American Israel Public Affairs Committee, or AIPAC. Democrats will likely need to defend the open Senate seat against Republican Mike
Rogers in order to take control of the Senate next year.
Meanwhile, Rep. Wesley Bell won Tuesday's Democratic primary in Missouri's 1st Congressional District against former Rep. Cori Bush, settling a rematch that provided a test of America's evolving viewpoints on Israel.
Bell was backed by a political group affiliated with AIPAC. The pro-Israeli group also financed his ouster of Bush in the 2024 primary after Bush criticized Israel’s response to Hamas’ attack on the country in 2023.
In Michigan, Kansas, Missouri, Virginia and Washington state, voters are settling primaries in a host of races. Also in play is whether Democrats, who tried to redraw districts in Virginia to their advantage but were rebuffed by the state supreme court, can pick candidates who can defeat Republicans in the fall.
Here is a look at the Latest:
The Rev. Adam Hamilton, pastor of the nation’s largest United Methodist congregation, emerged from an 11-person Democratic field in Tuesday’s primary after fundraising at a far faster clip than incumbent Republican Sen. Roger Marshall.
But Marshall’s status as an incumbent — and his lack of serious opposition to the GOP nomination — allowed him to start the fall campaign with far more cash on hand. History gives him another advantage in Republican-leaning Kansas: No Democrat has won a U.S. Senate race in the state since 1932.
Hamilton, founder of the 22,000-member Church of the Resurrection, raised nearly $4.4 million after entering the race in February, his campaign finance reports show. Marshall has raised about $1.6 million this year, but he didn’t start from zero.
Marshall emerged from the primary with about $5.5 million in cash on hand, spending less than $327,000 as of mid-July. Hamilton spent about $2.4 million on his primary campaign and is starting the fall race with about $2 million in cash.
McCann is trying to flip a Republican-held district that runs along Lake Michigan in the western part of the state.
A Kalamazoo native and former state representative, McCann was elected in 2022 to the Michigan Senate. He also served as a Kalamazoo city commissioner.
Harris, a political newcomer, worked as a staff assistant and legislative correspondent for Ohio Democratic Sen. Sherrod Brown.
President Donald Trump said he expected that Michigan Republican Mike Rogers, a former congressman, would fare better in the Senate race if Abdul El-Sayed is the Democratic nominee.
“Based on the polls, he’ll do much better against Abdul than he’s going to do against the congresswoman (Democrat Haley Stevens),” Trump said in a pre-taped interview with the show “Fox News @ Night.”
The president said that Democrats who identify as socialist would destroy the nation’s cities if elected.
“They’re always filthy, disgusting, dirty, and that’s what you’ll get,” said Trump, who added that he is a “clean person.”
Derryl Reed said he was so confident Stevens is going to win that he brought a bouquet of flowers to give to her.
“I want to come out and support her and congratulate her on her victory,” Reed, 79, said.
Reed, who is on the Oakland County Democratic Party’s leadership team, said he understands Abdul El-Sayed’s appeal as an outsider candidate, but it’s that same lack of political experience that would hurt his chances in the general election.
El-Sayed is “able to come out and promise things,” Reed said. “The question is, can he deliver on the things he’s promised?”
Reed said no matter who wins the primary, Stevens and El-Sayed have to meet within the week to present a united front Democratic voters can rally behind.
“Democrats need to get their acts together. Trump and the Republicans have given them so much material to work with, it shouldn’t even be close,” Reed said. “It should be a landslide in November.”
Lawrence, a community organizer, will face Republican incumbent Tom Barrett, who flipped the competitive district red in 2024. Barret’s win helped Republicans keep a slim majority in the U.S. House.
Lawrence supports government funding of universal healthcare and quality housing, according to his campaign website.
On Tuesday, he defeated Bridget Brink, a former U.S. ambassador to Ukraine, and former Navy SEAL Matt Maasdam. Barrett ran unopposed in the Republican primary.
Abdul El-Sayed maintained a lead over Haley Stevens as initial results were released. He was propelled by strong performances in Kent County, home to Grand Rapids, and heavily Democratic Washtenaw County.
Stevens narrowed El-Sayed’s lead as Wayne County, the state’s most populous, released more results. Home to Detroit, Wayne has the state’s highest share of Black residents and is a Democratic stronghold in general elections. Stevens targeted a big showing there, including bringing in South Carolina U.S. Rep. Jim Clyburn to stump on her behalf.
In recent establishment-vs.-progressive matchups, Wayne has delivered for the establishment candidate, although that doesn’t guarantee a statewide victory. Hillary Clinton won about 60% in Wayne in Michigan’s 2016 presidential primary but still lost the state narrowly to Bernie Sanders.
Wayne County historically releases results later than most of the state, which could result in a boost for Stevens as the night wears on.
State Sen. John Braun will advance to the general election in the 3rd Congressional District, challenging Democrat Marie Gluesenkamp Perez in one of the GOP’s top pickup opportunities.
Gluesenkamp Perez has won twice in the Republican-leaning district, both times defeating Joe Kent, who faced scrutiny about his ties to white nationalists.
Compared with Kent, Braun has a more conventional Republican background. He’s the president of a family business that makes ambulances and other emergency response vehicles, and he has served more than a decade in the state Legislature, rising to be the Senate Republican leader.
The district in Southwest Washington includes the northern suburbs of Portland, Oregon, as well as rural communities reliant on ports, timber, agriculture and fishing.
The moderate Democrat will advance to the general election despite a longshot challenge from the left in the 3rd Congressional District.
Gluesenkamp Perez, who has won twice in a battleground district that voted for Trump, is one of a dwindling number of Democrats representing a rural, working class district.
She’s been vocal in warning her fellow Democrats that their party is losing touch with blue-collar voters like those she represents.
Challenger Brent Hennrich made a progressive case against her, highlighting her votes for the Laken Riley immigration bill and a version of the SAVE Act, a voting bill favored by Trump.
But he struggled to raise money or secure support from progressive politicians and interest groups that have helped insurgent challengers topple Democratic incumbents this year in Colorado and New York.
With her supporters cheering and clapping, Bush said she remains “that same fighter that stood up for you before.”
“I don’t have to have a title to fight for my people, St. Louis,” she said.
Saying Bell had ties to Republican candidates in the past, Bush also implied that GOP forces had targeted the district for possible redrawing “because if they make this a Republican district, they already got somebody ready.”
Bell, a former St. Louis County prosecutor, was backed by a political group affiliated with the American Israel Public Affairs Committee. The pro-Israeli group also financed his ouster of Bush in the 2024 primary after Bush criticized Israel’s response in Gaza to Hamas’ attack on the country in 2023.
“This ain’t over, y’all,” she said. “Let them all reap what they sow.”
“There’s going to be times we disagree on issues, but that should never stop us from doing the work for regular folks,” Bell said. He went on to say that is “because progressives are supposed to make progress.”
Bell said he saw “cruelty, chaos and corruption” from the Trump administration, which the crowd chanted “yes” in response to. He said November is a chance for voters to have a voice.
“To everyone who trusted me to represent you, thank you, and when we talk about the progress we need to make, I think the folks know, and St. Louis knows, that I’m always going to wake up working for you,” Bell said.
The former U.S. House member was greeted with chants of “we love you, Cori” as she took the stage at an events center in Dellwood, more than an hour after U.S. Rep. Wesley Bell was declared victor of the Democratic primary rematch.
Bush, who had been part of the progressive group of House members known as the “Squad,” also says Republican billionaires “want to control this district,” referencing GOP efforts to possibly redistrict the area more favorably to their party.
In-person voting centers in Washington closed at 8 p.m. PT, which is 11 p.m. ET. The state votes almost entirely by mail. Comparable past elections can offer clues about when to expect the first vote results and how long the vote count might take.
In the 2024 state primary, the AP first reported results at 11:06 p.m. ET, or six minutes after polls closed. The last vote update of the night was at 11:43 p.m. ET, with about 51% of total votes counted. The vote count surpassed the 75% mark on the Thursday following the election at 7:56 p.m. ET and reached about 95% of the total vote six days after the election at 7:24 p.m. ET.
▶ Follow tonight’s results in Washington
Stevens’ supporters moved into an adjoining room with a large American flag overlooking the crowd to the tune of Stevie Wonder’s “Superstition.”
Buoyed by incoming votes from Wayne County, people chatted, occasionally breaking out into chants of “Haley.” Some held up signs above the crowd reading “Haley Stevens for US Senate” and “Michigan Made.”
The number of people who voted in person early at Michigan polling places ahead of Tuesday’s primary was nearly double the number for the 2024 primary, Deputy Secretary of State Aghogho Edevbie said.
Edevbie also said that the number of people voting by mail also increased by more than 20% compared to the 2022 primary.
He said during a brief news conference that 1.3 million people had cast mail ballots as of Tuesday, up 226,000 from the 2022 primary. Another 139,000 people voted early in person — compared to fewer than 74,000 in 2024.
Edevbie also told reporters that 28,000 people registered to vote Tuesday and then cast their ballots.
The conservative talk radio host’s victory in the five-person primary gives him an edge in the November election for the sprawling 6th Congressional District that includes rural northern Missouri and part of Kansas City.
Graves has represented the district for a quarter century and currently is chairman of the House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee.
Stigall once worked for Graves and was endorsed by the congressman shortly after Graves announced in late March that he was not seeking reelection.
“When we think about all of the division that we hear, I think it is important that we focus on what this place can be,” Bell said.
Bell’s speech focused on the work he plans to do for the city, which was met with applause. He described St. Louis as a “sleeping giant” and encouraged applause for campaign volunteers around the room.
“I have a tremendous group of folks, and we just got to work,” Bell said.
The crowd at Stevens’ watch party erupted into cheers, applause and chants of “Haley” as votes from Wayne County, Michigan’s most populous, began to roll in.
Spending on broadcast and digital advertising reached nearly $13 million during the campaign over an unsuccessful proposal to amend the Kansas Constitution to elect state Supreme Court justices, according to the ad-tracking firm AdImpact. Voters rejected the measure in Tuesday’s primary.
Opponents of the Kansas ballot measure spent almost $9 million on broadcast and digital ads. That was more than twice as much as the $4 million spent by supporters.
The governor now appoints the justices from among three finalists selected by a nominating commission, with no role for the Republican-controlled Legislature. The measure’s backers had hoped that if they were successful, they could start electing conservative justices in 2028.
Twenty-two states elect their justices, and some have multi-million dollar races. In Wisconsin, spending in a race last year topped $100 million.
James, who represents Michigan’s 10th Congressional District, was endorsed by Trump in late June.
His biggest opponent, business owner Perry Johnson, spent about $30 million of his own money on his campaign, according to campaign finance filings. James’ win adds him to the list of Trump-backed candidates who prevailed in primaries around the country, including in Indiana and Louisiana.
James will face Democrat Jocelyn Benson in November. The race to replace term-limited Democratic Gov. Gretchen Whitmer — who won the last gubernatorial election by nearly 11 percentage points — will be closely watched in swing state Michigan, which voted for Trump in 2024.
She won Tuesday’s primary even though term-limited Democratic Gov. Laura Kelly endorsed one of her opponents, fellow Kansas City-area state Sen. Ethan Corson.
Holscher has said she entered politics as a parent concerned about funding for public schools, winning a Kansas House seat in 2016 before capturing her Senate seat in 2020.
She portrayed herself as more of a fighter than her opponents. Her campaign had a populist tone and she even criticized the highest profile business development deal of Kelly’s tenure as governor — $2.4 billion in bonds for a new stadium, training facility and retail development to lure professional football’s Kansas City Chiefs out of Missouri.
The measure would have amended the state constitution to have Supreme Court justices elected rather than initially appointed by the governor.
Supporters pitched the measure to voters as increasing democracy, but their goal has been to move the court to the right so that it overturns a landmark 2019 decision declaring that the Kansas Constitution protects abortion rights. Voters soundly rejected a proposed amendment in 2022 that would have nullified that decision.
Conservatives also have been upset for at least 20 years over Supreme Court decisions forcing the Legislature to boost spending on public schools.
Advocates of abortion rights and public schools fought the amendment.
Brattin, a Republican state senator, prevailed in a six-way primary for the right to take on longtime Democratic U.S. Rep. Emanuel Cleaver in the November general election. Brattin is a Marine veteran and a founding member of the legislature’s conservative Missouri Freedom Caucus.
Missouri was the second Republican state, after Texas, to respond to Trump’s call last year to redraw congressional districts to the GOP’s advantage ahead of the midterms. The revamped map stretches Cleaver’s previous Kansas City district eastward into rural central Missouri to give the new 5th District a Republican tilt.
Republicans already hold six of Missouri’s eight congressional seats and are hoping to pick up one more.
Diallo Smith, 51, thinks Stevens’ congressional experience and connection to the Detroit area make her the best candidate for Senate. He said the large crowds at Abdul El-Sayed’s event are proof of how politically focused Detroit residents are.
“It’s been a very, very competitive primary race so far, and this is not the last leg of the journey,” Smith said.
Other attendees also cited Stevens’ policy experience and willingness to work across the aisle.
Emily Dove-Medows, 49, said while she hopes for a Stevens win, she would vote for El-Sayed against Republican Mike Rogers. In her eyes, keeping Michigan’s Senate seat blue is crucial to providing a bulwark against the Trump administration, and she said she is cautiously optimistic that the Democratic Party will bridge internal rifts.
“Time heals all wounds, right?” she said. “Maybe it might not happen tomorrow, but I think it will happen eventually.”
Huizenga is seeking reelection in the district that stretches along Lake Michigan in the western part of the state. He defeated opponent Philip Tanis, a former mayor of Holland, Michigan.
Huizenga ran unopposed in the 2022 Republican primary, then had little trouble winning the 2024 primary.
He was a Michigan state representative from 2003 to 2008 and first was elected to Congress in 2011. He planned to launch a U.S. Senate bid in 2025 against former Rep. Mike Rogers until Trump encouraged Huizenga to seek reelection as part of efforts to keep House seats in GOP hands.
The Twitch livestreamer was interviewed on CSPAN as he stood at El-Sayed’s watch party at Detroit’s Majestic Theatre. The crowd let out cheers when Piker was shown on a big screen.
Piker has appeared with El-Sayed multiple times on the campaign trail, receiving criticism from both Republicans and Democrats. Piker has made controversial comments in the past, including that America deserved 9/11.
