Missouri, Michigan, Washington and Kansas primaries 2024: Cori Bush loses
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!
Latest headlines:
- McDonald Rivet projected winner in Michigan's 8th District Democratic primary
- Marlinga secures a rematch in Michigan's 10th
- Hudson projected to win GOP primary in Michigan's 3rd District
- Will Washington's 6th District get a bipartisan matchup or two Democrats in November?
- Baumgartner advances in Washington's 5th District
The Washington governor matchup is set
As expected, Democratic Attorney General Bob Ferguson and Republican former Rep. Dave Reichert will advance to the general election for Washington governor.
With 56 percent of the expected vote counted, Ferguson has 46 percent of the vote, while Reichert has 28 percent. This race could be competitive in November given Reichert’s moderate voting record in the House.
—Nathaniel Rakich, 538
Hudson may be favored in Michigan's 3rd District GOP primary
We're starting to get a significant number of votes in from Michigan's 3rd District. With 43 percent of the expected vote reporting, per the AP, Hudson leads by about 8 points over Markey, 53.7 percent to 46.3 percent. And the good news for Hudson is that he's leading in the two counties that still have many votes left to report: Kent (home to Grand Rapids and the majority of this seat's votes) and Muskegon. Markey does lead in Ottawa, which has almost entirely reported, but if he doesn't make up ground elsewhere — especially Kent — that'll likely put Hudson into the general election against Scholten, the Democratic incumbent.
—Geoffrey Skelley, 538
Gluesenkamp-Perez is another win for our candidates of color tracker
As Meredith said, Gluesenkamp Perez is projected to go on to the general in November, which notches another win for incumbents of color in our tracker. (Though notably, the state uses a top-two primary system, so Gluesenkamp's main competition today was Republican Joe Kent, who she'll face head-to-head in November.)
Washington has a number of other candidates of color running today throughout the state as well.
—Monica Potts, 538
There will be a rematch in Washington’s 3rd District in November
The AP is projecting that Republican Joe Kent and incumbent Democrat Marie Gluesenkamp Perez will be the top two finishers in Washington’s 3rd District primary, meaning the pair will advance to the general election. In 2022, Gluesenkamp Perez defeated Kent in what was seen as a major upset in this Republican-leaning district. With this projection, we will get to see if she can do it again.
—Meredith Conroy, 538 contributor