Illinois and Ohio primaries 2024: Trump-backed Senate candidate wins Ohio primary

In downballot races in Chicago tonight, it looks to be something of a mixed result for the progressive movement. On the legislative level, moderate challengers failed to oust more progressive-leaning state legislative incumbents across the Chicago area. The more progressive candidate also has been projected to win state Senate District 20, according to the Associated Press. However, as I mentioned earlier, marquee progressive items look to be losing: Both the “Bring Chicago Home” referendum and Cook County State’s Attorney Democratic primary show progressives behind.

So despite the mayor’s unpopularity, and some indications in polls that the progressive movement might be on the wane in the city, there’s a bit of good news for both sides of the Democratic divide tonight.

—Mary Radcliffe, 538

Only three of the eight Republican women we were tracking won their primary races: Two of them were uncontested and are in deep blue districts, where they are unlikely to win in November. One, Miller in Illinois's 15th, is the incumbent. On the flip side, 13 of the 17 Democratic women we were tracking won their races, many of them incumbents likely to hold their seats in November.

Women have record representation in Congress now, but of course still lack parity. But in this election, issues that women care about, namely abortion and reproductive rights, are poised to make a difference. Democratic voters could be motivated to turn out to protect abortion rights at the national level, and Democratic candidates are likely to run on the issue going forward.

—Monica Potts, 538

Polls are now closed in the Golden State, where a special election is taking place to fill the seat of former House Speaker Kevin McCarthy for the remainder of his term. State Assemblymember Vince Fong led in the regular top-two primary two weeks ago, and is favored to ultimately win this race as well. But results in California usually take quite a while to fully come in since a large proportion of voters vote by mail. And it might not end with today's contest either: If no candidate receives more than 50 percent of the vote today, the top two vote-getters will advance to a special general election in May.

—Cooper Burton, 538

Moreno’s nomination in Ohio continues a trend of Republicans entrusting their Senate hopes to a coterie of very wealthy men (and one woman, Nella Domenici in New Mexico). In almost every single competitive Senate race, the likely Republican nominee is a politically inexperienced but very wealthy man, each of whom is self-funding to some degree. While Moreno isn’t as wealthy as Tim Sheehy in Montana, Eric Hovde in Wisconsin or Dave McCormick in Pennsylvania, he certainly fits the mold. And if Republicans come up short in their efforts to flip the chamber this fall, I think there will be a lot of focus on how the party eschewed candidates with experience winning races in favor of neophytes, especially when Democrats have such strong incumbents.

—Jacob Rubashkin, Inside Elections