New York, Colorado and Utah primaries 2024: Bowman loses, Boebert wins

Three Trump-endorsed candidates also lost in Republican primaries.

By538 and ABC News via five thirty eight logo
Last Updated: June 25, 2024, 7:00 PM EDT

June 25 was one of the most jam-packed primary election days of the year: Democrats and Republicans in Colorado, New York, Utah and parts of South Carolina picked their party's nominees for this fall's elections.

Two incumbent representatives — Jamaal Bowman and Lauren Boebert — who have made enemies inside and outside their own parties faced serious challengers in their primaries, but they met with different fates. Bowman lost to a more moderate Democrat, George Latimer, in what was the most expensive congressional primary in history. However, Boebert easily prevailed in her Republican primary despite running in an entirely new district.

It was also a bad night for former President Donald Trump. Going into these primaries, only one candidate he had endorsed for Senate, House or governor had lost; tonight alone, three did, including his preferred candidate to replace retiring Sen. Mitt Romney in Utah.

In addition, the fields are now set in some key congressional matchups this fall. In Colorado, Republicans avoided nominating far-right candidates who could have put normally safe red districts in play. Meanwhile, Democrats picked their fighters in two competitive New York House districts that could help them reclaim the House majority.

538 reporters and contributors broke down the election results as they came in with live updates, analysis and commentary. Read our full live blog below.

Latest headlines:

Here's how the news is developing.
Nathaniel Rakich Image
Jun 26, 2024, 12:16 AM EDT

It’s still tight in Utah’s 2nd

There’s only one unprojected race that we’re still tracking: the Republican primary in Utah’s 2nd District. The AP estimates that 83 percent of the final vote has been counted there, and Maloy is clinging to a 52 percent to 48 percent lead over Jenkins. However, it’s getting late, so unfortunately I don’t think we’ll be sticking around for the bitter end for this one. (It’s very possible we won’t even get a projection tonight.)

—Nathaniel Rakich, 538

Rep. Celeste Maloy and Colby Jenkins look on during Utah's 2nd Congressional district debate, June 10, 2024, in Salt Lake City.
Scott G. Winterton/The Deseret News via AP, Pool

Meredith Conroy Image
Jun 26, 2024, 12:06 AM EDT

How did women do tonight in competitive primaries?

Tonight I tracked several primaries in which women had a chance to win. On the Republican side, in the runoff in South Carolina’s 3rd, Biggs’s projected victory over the Trump-endorsed candidate should add a woman to the GOP conference in November given that district’s rightward lean. In Colorado’s 4th, another safe red district, it was likely a woman would win — we just weren’t sure who — and Boebert ended up the winner there. However, we’re still waiting to see whether Maloy will ward off her challenger to prevail in Utah’s 2nd.

Among Democrats, nonincumbent women didn’t have a remarkable night. In New York’s 1st District, Goroff is projected to lose despite her support from the Democratic-aligned powerhouse EMILYs List. Also in New York, the AP has projected that Sarah Klee Hood will lose the primary in the 22nd. The only nonincumbent Democratic woman who prevailed tonight in a district winnable in November is probably Laura Gillen in New York’s 4th District.

—Meredith Conroy, 538 contributor

Geoffrey Skelley Image
Jun 26, 2024, 12:02 AM EDT

Boebert might’ve had more trouble against one opponent

Boebert easily won the Republican primary in Colorado’s solidly red 4th District, making it almost certain she’ll successfully switch over from the more competitive 3rd District and remain in Congress after the 2024 election. However, it’s easy to wonder if she might’ve had more trouble against one notable opponent. With 89 percent of the expected vote reporting, per the AP, Boebert has 43 percent against five other candidates, four of whom have at least 10 percent. Had one of those candidates, especially one of the better-funded or well-known contenders with long-standing local ties (such as Sonnenberg) gotten a one-on-one crack at Boebert, perhaps she would have had more trouble. We’ll never know, of course, and outside of states with runoffs or ranked-choice voting, a plurality win is all a candidate needs.

—Geoffrey Skelley, 538

Jacob Rubashkin Image
Jun 25, 2024, 11:58 PM EDT

Final thought: A good night for House Republicans

On the whole, House Republicans got good news tonight, especially in Colorado. Having Evans, Crank and Hurd as their nominees doesn’t guarantee they’ll win (maybe just the 5th District), but it substantially raises the party's chances of winning each of those seats compared to what any of their unsuccessful primary opponents' odds would have looked like. Elsewhere, GOP leadership avoided a firebrand winning a safe seat in South Carolina and can enjoy a little schadenfreude as Bowman loses in New York’s 16th District, while Mondaire Jones gets an additional headache in the highly competitive 17th District by losing the Working Families Party primary.

—Jacob Rubashkin, Inside Elections

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