Election updates: Mixed results for Trump-backed candidates in GOP primaries

Dr. Oz's Pennsylvania primary was too close to project Tuesday night.

Last Updated: May 18, 2022, 10:25 AM EDT

Voters were heading to the polls Tuesday for primary elections in Pennsylvania, North Carolina, Kentucky, Idaho and Oregon amid a midterm season that will test the endorsement power of both President Joe Biden and former President Donald Trump.

While Trump wasn't successful across the board, at least 22 of his 25 endorsed candidates for Senate, House and governor (mostly in noncompetitive races) won Tuesday night, according to FiveThirtyEight.

Latest Developments:

Here is how the news is developing today. All times Eastern. Check back for updates.
May 18, 2022, 12:03 AM EDT

Gisele Fetterman speaks with ABC News about husband’s projected win, health scare

Gisele Fetterman, wife of Lt. Gov. John Fetterman, spoke with ABC News’ Linsey Davis after her husband’s projected win in Pennsylvania’s Democratic primary for U.S. Senate. Fetterman suffered a stroke just five days ago and underwent surgery on Election Day to get a pacemaker and defibrillator.

“It’s been a long road here and we’re grateful to celebrate together very soon,” she told Davis from an election night party in Pittsburgh. She said Tuesday's surgery was "very successful" and that her husband is "well on his way to a full recovery."

Gisele Fetterman also spoke about the role Pennsylvania will play in national politics this midterm election cycle. The state was the center of former President Donald Trump’s effort to overturn the 2020 election results after Joe Biden flipped the state from red to blue. Democrats see the race as their best shot to pick up a seat in the chamber from retiring Republican Sen. Pat Toomey.

“This is the city that can decide everything,” she said. “So it’s why it’s going to be the most watched seat in the country. And it’s critical to make this seat a blue seat.”

May 17, 2022, 11:50 PM EDT

Bo Hines projected to win in North Carolina GOP House primary

In North Carolina's 13th Congressional District, ABC News projects Bo Hines will win the Republican House primary.

Republican candidate for House of Representatives Bo Hines waves to the crowd at a rally in Selma, N.C., April 9, 2022.
Chris Seward/AP, FILE

Hines’ win is a victory for former President Donald Trump, who is testing his endorsement power in several races this midterms season. Trump also endorsed incumbent Rep. Madison Cawthorn in another North Carolina House race -- but Cawthorn conceded his loss earlier Tuesday and threw his support behind Republican State Sen. Chuck Edwards.

Hines is running in an area he has no connection to and does not live in, and many people have criticized him for using this campaign to launch his political career. His campaign finance disclosure shows that only six people from North Carolina donated money to him in the first quarter, and those same six people do not live in the district he is trying to represent.

The 26-year-old is a former college football star who played for the North Carolina State Wolfpack and Yale Bulldogs. He has said his ultimate goal is to become president.

May 17, 2022, 11:12 PM EDT

Last polls close in Idaho, Oregon

All polls are now closed in Tuesday’s primary elections.

In Idaho, there will be a showdown between incumbent Gov. Brad Little and Lt. Gov. Janice McGeachin in the Republican gubernatorial primary. Little and McGeachin have clashed over coronavirus protocols during their administration, with McGeachin once issuing an executive order to "fix" statewide rules while Little was out of town.

In Oregon, term-limited Democratic Gov. Kate Brown’s unpopularity could open the door for Republicans to hold the governorship for the first time in more than three decades. There are 19 Republicans running for the party’s nomination on Tuesday.

President Joe Biden’s influence will be put to the test in Oregon, where Rep. Kurt Schrader is facing a challenge from progressive Jamie McLeod-Skinner in a redrawn district. Biden threw his support behind Schrader a few weeks ago, marking his first endorsement of the 2022 election season.

Returns are still coming in from Kentucky, North Carolina and Pennsylvania, with the winners of several key races already projected by ABC News.

May 17, 2022, 10:56 PM EDT

Rep. Madison Cawthorn concedes to Chuck Edwards in North Carolina

Freshman Rep. Madison Cawthorn’s wild freshman year appears to have caught up with him.

ABC News has learned that Cawthorn has just conceded the race in North Carolina’s 11th Congressional District -- a seat he won in 2020 at the age of 25, making him the youngest person in the 117th Congress.

State Sen. Chuck Edwards, one of seven Republicans challenging Cawthorn for the nomination, declared victory in a statement on Tuesday night. ABC News has yet to project a winner in the race, but early returns showed Edwards ahead of the pack.

"This is simply incredible," Edwards said. "Against all odds, we fought hard to win this election and provide clear conservative leadership for the mountains. I am so grateful for the support I received and am forever indebted to the hardworking people of this district who made this victory possible. Now, we will harness this energy, come together as a party, and keep this seat in Republican hands in November. My campaign has been about staying true to mountain values and delivering real results for Western North Carolina, and that is exactly what I intend to do."

Sen. Chuck Edwards speaks during the NC-11 Republican candidate debate in Asheville, N.C., April 12, 2022.
Asheville Citizen-Times via USA Today Network

Republican voters were tasked with deciding if they wanted to keep Cawthorn around despite multiple scandals, including his unsubstantiated claims that some of his GOP colleagues on Capitol Hill invited him to sex parties and used cocaine.

He later told House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy, R-Calif., that his remarks were exaggerations, but the incident caused some in the party to look to Edwards as a possible replacement.

PHOTO: Rep. Madison Cawthorn speaks at a rally  in Selma, N.C., April 9, 2022.
Rep. Madison Cawthorn speaks at a rally in Selma, N.C., April 9, 2022.
Chris Seward/AP, FILE

Sen. Thom Tillis, R-N.C., who backed Edwards in March, said Cawthorn had "fallen well short of the most basic standard western North Carolina expects from their representatives."

Other controversies surrounding Cawthorn include allegations of insider trading, trying to bring a loaded gun through airport security and his description of Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy as a "thug."

Still, Cawthorn had former President Donald Trump on his side heading into Tuesday’s contest, but it doesn’t appear to have been enough to sway enough voters. Trump said Monday that Cawthorn should be given a "second chance" after making some "foolish mistakes."

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