Voters from five different states will head to the polls to nominate candidates for November’s midterm elections.
Notable races include the New York gubernatorial race, where Democratic Governor Kathy Hochul is seeking to become the state’s first elected female governor. The Republican primary includes Andrew Giuliani, son of former New York Mayor Rudy Giuliani, and Rep. Lee Zeldin, R-NY.
In Oklahoma, more than ten Republican candidates are running to serve the remainder of Sen. Jim Inhofe’s six-year term after announcing his retirement.
And in Illinois, the redistricting pitted incumbents against each other. In the state’s new sixth congressional district, Rep. Marie Newman and Rep. Sean Casten will be vying for the Democratic nomination. In the 15th congressional district, Rep. Rodney Davis and Rep. Mary Miller will face off for the Republican nomination for the seat.
Overview :Races to watch in Tuesday’s primaries: New York governor, Illinois US House, Colorado secretary of state
Tonight’s primaries come in the shadow of Roe vs. Wade and January 6 testimony
Tonight’s primaries in New York, Illinois, Colorado, Utah and Oklahoma unfold in the wake of momentous events that will affect politics for years to come.
Voters headed to the polls the same day former White House aide Cassidy Hutchinson gave chilling testimony about former President Donald Trump and the Jan. 6, 2021, uprising. She said Trump knew that his supporters could turn violent after marching to the Capitol to protest his election defeat to President Joe Biden.
Miss Day 6 of the January 6 hearing?:Trump knew crowd was armed and dangerous, bombshell witness says
After Trump attacked Vice President Mike Pence for refusing to help him nullify the election, Hutchinson told the January 6 congressional commission: “As an American, I was disgusted . It was un-patriotic. It was un-American. We were watching the Capitol defaced based on a lie.”
Investigations into Trump’s actions on Jan. 6 could affect the fall election and beyond.
It’s also the first day of primaries since the Supreme Court’s decision on Friday to overturn the 1973 Roe v. Wade decision, essentially allowing states to ban abortions and making the issue a top political issue.
Democrats have pledged to make restoring abortion rights a major issue in the next election.
–David Jackson
Former Congressman Fortenberry gets two years probation as Nebraskanians vote to replace him
Nebraskanians in the 1st District went to the polls for a special election to replace a position vacated by longtime Congressman Jeff Fortenberry, who resigned in March after being convicted in an investigation of lying to the FBI in the subject of an illegal foreign donation.
After:Former Nebraska Rep. Jeff Fortenberry Avoids Jail After Lying to Feds in Campaign Finance Investigation
In the Republican-leaning 1st Congressional District race to replace Fortenberry, Republican State Sen. Mike Flood is expected to win Tuesday’s special election against Democratic State Sen. Patty Pansing Brooks. Whoever wins on Tuesday, the two candidates will also face each other in November’s general election for a full term beginning in January.
Flood is the former Speaker of the Nebraska Legislative Assembly and was endorsed by Ricketts and former GOP Gov. Dave Heineman.
Fortenberry’s resignation became effective June 1. The new representative will serve until January 2023.
Fortenberry received a $30,000 contribution to a 2016 Los Angeles fundraiser from Lebanese-Nigerian billionaire Gilbert Chagoury. Fortenberry did not disclose the contribution and, when asked in two separate interviews about the contribution, said he had no knowledge of it.
A Los Angeles federal judge sentenced him Tuesday morning to two years probation, 320 hours of community service and a $25,000 fine, but he faces a maximum of 15 years in prison.
— Catherine Swartz
Indicted Candidate for Colorado Secretary of State Pushes False Election Fraud Allegations
Mesa County Clerk Tina Peters continues to elevate her opponents for Colorado’s GOP secretary of state, despite being charged with seven counts related to voter fraud, called by her own party to suspend its campaign and prevented by a judge from supervising the elections in its county this year.
Peters’ main challenger in Tuesday’s primary is moderate Republican Pam Anderson, a longtime election official and former Jefferson County clerk who rejects former President Donald Trump’s false claims about a stolen election that Peters embraces. . Anderson has raised nearly $107,000 since October, compared to $166,000 for Peters since entering the race in February, according to May 31 financial disclosure reports.
This primary represents the latest chapter in a new rift within the GOP, a party torn between support for Trump’s perpetuated claims of widespread voter fraud and those who reject those baseless claims. What remains is a tussle between pro-Trump far-right loyalist candidates and more mainstream Republicans for GOP primary nominations.
— Allison Novelo, Julia Mueller and Zoya Mirza, Medill News Service
Read the whole story here:Indicted and reprimanded, Colorado secretary of state nominee pushes Trump’s false voter fraud claims
Trump’s influence is tested again in Illinois Republican primary
Five-term incumbent Rep. Rodney Davis takes on freshman Rep. Mary Miller in a race that pitted the two incumbents after the redistricting. Trump endorsed Miller and held a rally last Saturday to lend him support ahead of tonight’s election.
At that same rally, Miller called the reversal of Roe v. Wade from “victory for white life”. Her campaign team says she misspoke, meaning “right to life”. Davis criticized Miller, saying in a statement that she “has demonstrated that she is unfit for public office.”
The race will be another test of Trump’s political clout against establishment Republicans who held the position before Trump took office.
Although he was not endorsed by Trump, Davis’s campaign site says he “was proud to work with President Trump.” He served as co-chair of Trump’s re-election campaign.
Who is Rodney Davis:An Illinois Republican facing the Trump factor
In the Illinois primary, two Democratic incumbents face off
Representatives Marie Newman and Sean Casten — both elected in 2018 — are vying for the same congressional seat in the Democratic primary for the 6th District.
It’s the only race in Illinois where two incumbent Democrats face off, and the district is expected to be one of the closest races in the general election.
Newman represented the 3rd District, but his residence was moved to the 4th after a redistricting. Instead of running in the 4th District — a heavily Hispanic district represented by Democrat Jesús “Chuy” García — Newman instead decided to run in the 6th District, where 41% of his voters now live.
Casten represents the 6th arrondissement, but only 23% of its voters now live within its borders.
While the two are alike on most Democratic issues, Newman is more progressive and supports policies like the Green New Deal and Medicare for All. Casten voted with Pres. Joe Biden 97% of the time.
– Catherine Swartz
Who is Mary Newman:The Illinois congresswoman switched districts and now faces another Democratic congresswoman
Who is Sean Casten:Illinois congressman to face another Democratic incumbent in redesigned district
New York begins a two-part primary on Tuesday
Like a Broadway musical — or a nonsense play — New York State is holding a two-act primary election this year: gubernatorial and some state elections on Tuesday, congressional and other legislative elections in late August. .
Disputes between parties over redistricting have led to the two-party primary configuration that could reduce turnout, increase party friction and confuse large numbers of voters, political analysts said.
“It’s a total mess,” said Grant Reeher, director of the Campbell Public Affairs Institute at Syracuse University’s Maxwell School. “It was an embarrassment to the state. … It does not serve the interests of the voters.”
Savvy voters will decide some state elections on Tuesday, including races for the state assembly and spirited Democratic and Republican primaries for governor’s office.
–David Jackson
Read the rest here:New York begins the two-part primary on Tuesday, including Governor Kathy Hochul
When do polling stations close?
Illinois and Oklahoma will close their polls at 8 p.m. ET.
An hour later, polls close in New York and Colorado at 9 p.m. ET.
Utah will close its polls for the last time at 10 p.m. ET.
-Kenneth Tran
USA Today