Tuesday’s primaries in four states – Connecticut, Minnesota Vermont and Wisconsin – will determine who’s running in November’s midterms in an election that will decide how far President Joe Biden can advance his agenda in the second half of his term.
The Aug. 9 contests also will provide another round in former President Donald Trump’s ongoing proxy war with Mike Pence, his former vice president, as they are backing different contenders in the Wisconsin Republican gubernatorial primary. The winner is expected to face incumbent Democratic Gov. Tony Evers.
And the retirement of Vermont Democrat Patrick Leahy, the Senate’s longest active serving member, is opening up the seat for the first time in almost half a century.
Latest developments:
- In Vermont, State Senate President Pro Tempore Becca Balint has won the Democratic primary for the state’s lone House seat, making her the favorite to become the state’s first woman to serve in Congress.
- In Wisconsin, Democrat Mandel Barnes won resoundingly and will face incumbent GOP Sen. Ron Johnson in November in a race that could determine which party will control the upper chamber next year.
- In Minnesota, Scott Jensen, a physician and former Minnesota state senator, will face Democratic Gov. Tim Waltz.
- In Connecticut, Republican Dominic Rapini won the primary contest to be the secretary of state. He is a former leader of Fight Voter Fraud, a group that has promoted false claims about the 2020 presidential election.
Jensen wins GOP nomination for Minnesota governor
Scott Jensen, a physician and former Minnesota state senator, easily won the state’s Republican primary for governor Tuesday.
Jensen has said he will work to make most abortions illegal in the state – a top issue in the competitive state.
He will face Democratic Gov. Tim Walz in November.
-Candy Woodall
Johnson wins GOP Senate primary in Wisconsin
Sen. Ron Johnson easily won the Republican nomination in Wisconsin on Tuesday and will face a challenge from Lt. Gov. Mandela Barnes in the fall – a November contest that could determine which party controls the Senate.
Johnson has been slipping in the polls, with independent voters moving away from him on his COVID response, and positions on abortion and election conspiracies.
However, some analysts have noted Johnson has been down in the polls before, only to mount a comeback and win in the general election.
-Candy Woodall
Another election denier wins a primary
The Connecticut race for secretary of state did grab many headlines but it does underscore a theme of the 2022 election cycle.
Republican Dominic Rapini won the primary contest to be the state’s chief election officer. He is a former leader of Fight Voter Fraud, a group that has promoted false claims about the 2020 presidential election.
Rapini will face Democrat Stephanie Thomas, a state legislator, in November.
— Phillip M. Bailey
Barnes wins easily in Wisconsin
Lt. Gov. Mandela Barnes coasted to victory in what was once a crowded Democratic field to challenge Republican Sen. Ron Johnson this fall.
In the final stretch of the race Barnes’s chief opponents dropped out to endorse him, consolidating his nomination and giving him a head start on November ahead of Tuesday’s election.
Barnes, 35, is the state’s first Black lieutenant governor. He is looking to be its first Black senator if elected,
— Phillip M. Bailey
Polls close in Wisconsin
The polls have closed in Wisconsin, site of nationally watched races for governor and U.S. Senator.
In the Republican gubernatorial primary, former Lt. Gov. Rebecca Kleefisch faces a field that includes Donald Trump-backed businessman Tim Michels.
The winner will face Democratic Gov. Tony Evers in the fall.
In the Democratic primary, current Lt. Gov. Mandela Barnes is favored to win over a field of unknowns.
Barnes is planning to run against incumbent U.S. Sen. Ron Johnson, R-Wisc., a race that could decide national control of the U.S. Senate.
– David Jackson