Missouri, Michigan, Washington and Kansas primaries 2024: Cori Bush loses

The fields are set for Michigan's Senate and Missouri's governor contests.

By538 Staff via five thirty eight logo
Last Updated: August 6, 2024, 6:01 PM EDT

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!

Latest headlines:

Here's how the news is developing.
Aug 06, 2024, 10:48 PM EDT

Notoriously slow Wayne County, Michigan, is slow

In 2022, a technical change in how votes are reported meant that Wayne County, Michigan, took days to report its votes. That dynamic may be repeating today: less than 1 percent of the expected vote has been reported in the primary for Michigan's 13th congressional district, in which incumbent Thanedar is facing multiple challengers, more than 2 hours after polls closed.

This issue may also come into play in November, when Democrats in the state will be relying on the solidly Democratic county to shore up their numbers statewide (Wayne is the state's most populous county and home to Detroit, an overwhelmingly blue city). In a critical battleground state, this kind of delay could mean the same sort of result we had in 2020, when a final winner in the presidential race wasn't called until 4 days after the election. Similar delays around the country in 2020 also contributed to conspiracy theories regarding the accuracy of the tally in some counties.

Strap in, folks. It's going to be a long ride.

—Mary Radcliffe, 538

Aug 06, 2024, 10:47 PM EDT

A VIEW PAC candidate nearly beat the Party favorite

With Reddy projected to win in Kansas's 3rd District, VIEW PAC, a GOP organization founded in 1997 by women to help elect more Republican women to Congress, has its first loss of the night, albeit a close one, as Jacob mentioned. As of May 21, just 50 percent of nonincumbent women supported by VIEW PAC had won their primaries. Tonight, VIEW PAC is also backing Mary Draves in Michigan's 8th, and Leslie Lewallen in Washington's 3rd. These women are running against candidates endorsed by Trump.

—Meredith Conroy, 538 contributor

Aug 06, 2024, 10:40 PM EDT

Tight race in Michigan's 3rd District GOP primary

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

Aug 06, 2024, 10:34 PM EDT

Prasanth Reddy to win GOP primary in Kansas's 3rd

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