The fields are set for Michigan's Senate and Missouri's governor contests.
Three months out from the big November election, around a third of all states had yet to hold (non-presidential) primaries. On Tuesday, Democrats and Republicans in Missouri, Michigan, Washington and Kansas went to the polls to pick which candidates will appear on their ballots in the fall.
The electoral fate of a couple endangered House incumbents hung in the balance on this packed primary day. In Missouri, a progressive "Squad" member was defeated by centrist forces, and in Washington, one of only two remaining House Republicans who voted to impeach President Donald Trump was challenged by not one but two Trump-endorsed opponents from his right.
Meanwhile, both parties locked in their nominees for Michigan’s critical Senate race, and the outcomes of Republican primary contests are likely to determine Missouri’s next governor and attorney general. In battleground House districts, the fields were set for competitive fall contests, while in safe red and blue districts, ideological lines were drawn as candidates duke it out in primaries tantamount to election.
As usual, 538 reporters and contributors broke down the election results as they came in with live updates, analysis and commentary. Check out our full live blog below!
The AP reports that 17 percent of the expected vote is in from Michigan's 3rd District Republican primary, and businessman Michael Markey holds the slimmest of leads over attorney Paul Hudson, 51 percent to 49 percent. The winner will face Democratic Rep. Hillary Scholten, who the AP projected handily won renomination in this blue-leaning but still competitive Western Michigan seat.
—Geoffrey Skelley, 538
The AP has projected that oncologist and veteran Prasanth Reddy will be the GOP nominee in Kansas's 3rd District. He escaped a closer-than-expected primary with just 53 percent of the vote, despite being endorsed by GOP leaders, including House Speaker Mike Johnson. Reddy will be an underdog against Democratic Rep. Sharice Davids this fall in the Democratic-trending seat.
—Jacob Rubashkin, Inside Elections
We just got a few more votes counted in St. Louis County in Missouri’s 1st District, and Bush gained a tiny bit of ground: She now trails Bell 54 percent to 42 percent with an estimated 51 percent of the vote counted districtwide.
—Nathaniel Rakich, 538
In Missouri, many of the anti-abortion candidates are leading in their races. Hall is leading in the Republican primary in the 1st Congressional District and Schaefer is leading in the 3rd, according to the AP. Wagner was just projected to win in the 2nd district, while Rep. Mark Alford, an incumbent, ran unopposed in the 4th and will go onto the general election. Graves and Smith are projected to win in the 6th and 8th Congressional Districts, respectively.
In the gubernatorial primary, the top three candidates, Kehoe, Eigel and Ashcroft are all anti-abortion, which means whoever prevails will count as a win for the anti-abortion candidates we're tracking.
—Monica Potts, 538
