Tuesday’s primaries are among the busiest in the 2022 midterm primaries. Five states in total are holding primaries (Arizona, Michigan, Missouri, Kansas and Washington).
From more ways to gauge how much sway an endorsement from former President Donald Trump has, to direct ballot measures about abortion access, to the last remaining House Republicans who voted to impeach Trump.
Here are some of the races to watch:
Arizona Senate & Governor
The Arizona GOP primary for senate, governor, and secretary of state on Tuesday are a major test of Trump’s influence over the Republican Party. Republican Voters will be picking their nominees but the future direction of the GOP is also at stake. And Tuesday’s results from Arizona could be a preview of the conservative brand that may take center stage in the 2024 presidential election.
In the Senate, Trump has backed 35-year-old Blake Masters, a venture capitalist who was the chief operating officer of Thiel’s investment firm, Thiel Capital, and the president of Thiel’s foundation. Theil has spent at least $15 million to support Masters, according to filings with the Federal Election Commission.
Masters’ primary opponents include businessman Jim Lamon, retired U.S. Air Force Maj. Gen. Michael McGuire and Arizona Attorney General Mark Brnovich.
Two polls this week indicate Masters has a comfortable lead going into Tuesday’s primary. That lead has continued to grow since Trump endorsed Masters in late June. A poll of likely Republican voters from OH Predictive on Sunday morning showed Masters at 36% with businessman Jim Lamon at 21% and Brnovich at 12%.
That mirrors Sunday’s Emerson poll, which also had Masters leading the pack with 40% of the support followed by 22% for Lamon and 14% for Brnovich.
Lamon told CBS News on Monday that “Democrats are paying” for Masters to win the primary. “Democrats would love to run against Masters, they’ll beat him like a drum,” Lamon said. The businessman aligns with Trump on conservative issues but said the former president “absolutely” made a mistake endorsing Masters over him.
The winner of Tuesday’s Senate primary will take on incumbent Democratic Sen. Mark Kelly, a former astronaut whose seat is a top target for Republicans. Kelly has raised over $55.8 million this cycle and has about $25 million cash on hand.
In the GOP race for governor, former TV news anchor Kari Lake and lawyer Karrin Taylor Robson are in a tight contest that repeats a dynamic between Trump and former Vice President MIke Pence.
Trump has backed Lake, while Pence, along with term-limited sitting Governor Doug Ducey, have backed Taylor Robson. Last month, Trump and Pence held dueling rallies for Lake and Robson on the same day.
While Lake has led in a majority of the polls, an Emerson College poll on Sunday showed a “dead heat” between the two, with Lake just up by one percentage point.
Trump backed Lake early and visited the state twice to support her. Some Republican voters in Arizona say they are only backing Trump-endorsed candidates this cycle.
Fred Warden, a fire pilot from Tucson, told CBS News that…
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