New York, Colorado and Utah primaries 2024: Bowman loses, Boebert wins
Three Trump-endorsed candidates also lost in Republican primaries.
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:
Incumbent Republican Governor Cox projected to win his primary in Utah
With an estimated 50 percent of the expected vote counted in the Utah Republican primary for governor, the AP projects that Cox, the incumbent, will win. He currently leads Lyman 60 percent to 40 percent. Cox was booed at this year's nominating convention, but the convention in Utah hasn't really had its finger on the pulse in recent cycles.
—Meredith Conroy, 538 contributor
Close race in Utah’s 2nd
With 62 percent of the vote estimated to have been counted in the GOP primary for Utah’s 2nd District, per the AP, Maloy has just a 52 percent to 48 percent lead over Jenkins. Maloy’s lead is built on strong performances in Salt Lake and Davis counties, in the Salt Lake City metro area, while Jenkins is doing well in Washington County, home to St. George in the state’s southwest corner. This race could come down to how some of the more rural counties in between vote.
—Nathaniel Rakich, 538
Ocasio-Cortez easily wins renomination in New York's 14th District
This wasn't a race that we expected to be close, but the AP projects that Democratic Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez will easily win renomination in New York's solidly blue 14th District. I note the contest only because she faced a primary challenge from former insurance executive Marty Dolan, who originally ran against Bowman in the 16th District primary, but switched races to take on Ocasio-Cortez. Dolan mostly got attention from conservative media outlets — Ocasio-Cortez is their bête noire — but it turns out that, amazingly, appearances on Fox News aren't a good way to win a Democratic primary.
—Geoffrey Skelley, 538
A rough night for the Colorado Republican Party (but a good night for Colorado Republicans)
In Colorado, the state party organization is in a state of constant disarray, but they found the time to endorse a number of candidates in competitive GOP primaries tonight. Those candidates aren’t doing particularly well: in the 3rd District, former state Rep. Ron Hanks is losing handily to attorney Jeff Hurd; in the 5th District, state party chairman Dave Williams lost to radio host Jeff Crank, and in the 8th District, former state Rep. Janak Joshi lost in a landslide to state Rep. Gabe Evans.
While that’s a poor track record for the state party itself, it’s music to the ears of national Republicans who want to win House races. Hanks, Williams, and Joshi were poor fundraisers who had lots of baggage in their backgrounds and would have made holding onto even GOP-leaning seats more of a challenge. With all three losing tonight, national Republican groups can focus on the most competitive seat, the 8th District, and feel a lot better about the 3rd and 5th Districts.
—Jacob Rubashkin, Inside Elections
Curtis projected to win for Utah Senate
The AP has projected that Curtis will win the Republican nomination for Senate in Utah. With 64 percent of the expected vote counted, he currently leads Staggs 52 percent to 28 percent. Because of how red Utah is, Curtis will almost certainly win this seat in the fall, succeeding Romney in the Senate. With his quirky sock collection and pragmatic voting record, the mild-mannered Curtis will keep this seat in moderate hands.
—Nathaniel Rakich, 538