Voters fill out ballots at Lowe Park Arts and
Environment Center on Tuesday in Marion, Iowa. Iowans voting in today's
primary election will nominate candidates for governor, U.S. Senate, and
U.S. House in advance of this fall's midterm elections.
Stephen Maturen/Getty Images
This story is no longer being updated.
Polls are
officially closed in New Jersey, South Dakota, Iowa, New Mexico,
Montana and California, where voters cast ballots in primary races for
U.S. House, Senate and statewide offices.
Most of the attention
is on California and Iowa, where there are competitive primaries for
governor. In both states, the Democratic Party also sees a road map to
control of Congress in the fall.
In California's unique primary system, voters send the top two vote-getters to November's general election,
regardless of candidates' political parties. Democratic Gov. Gavin
Newsom is term limited, and California voters will also pick who should
move on to the general election in five new Democratic-leaning
congressional districts. That primary was too close to call early
Wednesday morning.
In Iowa, Democratic voters picked state Rep. Josh Turek as their candidate in a key Senate race.
In order to win a majority in the Senate, Democrats must pick up four
seats, forcing the party to win in Republican-leaning states like Iowa.
For the first time in years, Iowa Democrats have a shot at winning the
governor's office.
Here are key races to follow:
California governor | California U.S. House | Iowa governor | Iowa U.S. Senate | New Jersey and Montana
You can also check out June 2 voter resources from the NPR network.
California decides top two gubernatorial contenders
It's
been a chaotic scramble to pick the next leader of the country's
largest state. After three prominent Democrats — former Vice President
Kamala Harris, Sen. Alex Padilla and state Attorney General Rob Bonta —
decided not to run, Democratic voters haven't had a clear front-runner
for the first time in decades. Voters have more than 60 candidates to choose from,
but only a fraction of those are considered serious contenders. Only
the top two vote-getters will move on to the general election in
November.
California Democratic gubernatorial candidate Xavier
Becerra hugs a supporter at the Long Beach Arena on May 31 in Long
Beach, Calif.
Apu Gomes/Getty Images
The race got a shakeup when former Democratic Rep. Eric Swalwell, the presumed favorite, dropped out of the race after he was accused of sexual misconduct by several women.
With about half the votes counted, it was too close to know which
two candidates would make it to November. Business executive and former
Fox News host Steve Hilton, a Republican, was narrowly leading two
Democrats: Health and Human Services secretary under former President
Joe Biden, Xavier Becerra, and billionaire philanthropist Tom Steyer.
Before Becerra was appointed to Biden's Cabinet, he served 12
terms in Congress and was elected as the California attorney general in
2016. He's considered by many as the candidate with the strongest
political background. Becerra's pitch is that he is a proven leader who
can hold his own and protect California from President Trump.
Steyer has forked over more than $213 million of his own fortune on the race
and is also financially backed by Our Revolution, a group aligned with
Sen. Bernie Sanders, I-Vt. Steyer's platform is centered on taking a
stand against special-interest groups in politics.
Hilton was endorsed by President Trump in April,
after which Riverside County Sheriff Chad Bianco, another Republican in
the race, quickly dropped in the polls. Hilton's platform focuses on
increasing affordable housing supply for first-time homebuyers,
bolstering tech industries and reviving California's film industry.
Democratic gubernatorial candidate Tom Steyer speaks
with students during a Get the Youth Vote with Bruin Democrats event at
UCLA's campus on June 1 in Los Angeles, Calif.
Mario Tama/Getty Images
The outcome of California's new congressional districts
In
response to Texas redrawing its congressional lines to create five
Republican-leaning districts at the behest of President Trump,
Californians approved Proposition 50 in November last year. The measure
temporarily sidestepped the independent redistricting commission tasked
with drawing nonpartisan influenced congressional boundaries, in favor
of politically gerrymandered districts. That allowed state Democrats to
redraw their map so five previously Republican-held districts now lean
Democratic.
This has left those Republican incumbents figuring out their
political futures. Rep. Ken Calvert, the longest-serving Republican from
California, and Rep. Young Kim are running in the same district, for
example, in a race that's gotten quite heated.
Then
there's Rep. Kevin Kiley. After being drawn into a much more
Democratic-leaning district, he decided to run in a new seat and
announced he was leaving the Republican Party and running as an
independent instead, though Kiley said he would still caucus with the
Republicans.
Because of California's primary system, some of these more
competitive seats are creating competitive primaries between Democrats,
allowing primary voters to signal to the party what kinds of candidates
speak to them most in places that have the most to lose — and gain.
Follow results here.
Iowa's GOP gubernatorial primary
Businessman Zach Lahn is the Republican nominee for Iowa Governor, beating out the Trump-endorsed candidate Rep. Randy Feenstra, according to a race call by the AP.
The
race is a test on whether Trump's endorsement holds weight in a state
where his approval rating has slipped over the economy, tariffs and the
war in Iran. In the end, the president's support wasn't enough for
Feenstra to remain in the race. Feenstra conceded to Lahn before the
Associated Press called the race. It was also one of the only primary
races so far this election cycle that Trump's endorsement didn't carry
the candidate to victory.
The governor's office is an important race for both parties. It's
the state's first open race for governor since 2011, as sitting Gov. Kim
Reynolds opted not to run for reelection.
But the
Republican-backed candidate isn't a shoo-in come November. Cook
Political Report categorizes the governor's race as a toss-up with a
slight Republican advantage. Lahn will face unopposed Democratic state
auditor Rob Sand in the general election. Sand is popular among voters
and has, so far, outraised any other candidate for governor.
Iowa Senate matchup set: Republican Rep. Ashley Hinson and Democratic state Rep. Josh Turek
Democratic
voters in Iowa selected state Rep. Josh Turek as their nominee against
Trump-endorsed Republican Rep. Ashley Hinson for a competitive Senate
seat, according to race calls from the AP.
The seat is one that
Democrats believe they have a shot at flipping come November. It's part
of a larger strategy of expanding their map — and winning in states
currently held by Republican senators — if they want a chance to retake
the Senate majority.
Turek, a two-time gold medal paralympian,
won the nomination against state Sen. Zach Wahls. Both candidates are
courting different Iowa voters though. Turek sought the
independent-leaning vote, while Wahls was hoping to gain the support
from committed Democrats. Turek flipped a state House district held by a
Republican, and now Democrats hope he can do the same with the Senate
seat.
And with three competitive congressional races on the
ballot, some Democrats in the state are feeling like the road to a
Democratic majority in Congress runs through Iowa.
Looking beyond Tuesday
New Jersey and Montana also have competitive races that could decide which party has control of Congress.
In
New Jersey, Democrat Rebecca Bennett won the primary in the competitive
Congressional District 7, according to an AP race call. Voters there
believe Bennett is the best shot the party has flipping the swing seat
blue in November.
Bennett will face the uncontested Republican
Rep. Thomas Kean Jr. in the general election. The sitting congressman
has been notably absent from Washington for weeks due to what Kean cites
as unspecified medical issues. He has missed more than 100 House votes
since his last recorded vote on March 5.
Bennett, who is a former Navy helicopter pilot, beat three other Democrats
for the nomination. Bennett's platform is centered around
affordability, lowering healthcare costs and protecting America's
national security interests.
Two races in Montana may be more competitive than originally
expected with the last-minute announcements — shortly before the filing
deadline — by Republicans, Sen. Steve Daines and Rep. Ryan Zinke, that
neither would seek reelection. When Zinke announced he was retiring from
Congress, it was seen as an opening for Democrats to compete.
But
the Democratic nominee for Montana's 1st Congressional District is too
close to call, according to the AP. As of Tuesday night, Ryan Busse, an
author and sales professional, maintained a small, 2-point lead, against
Sam Forstag, a smokejumper who is supported by popular progressive Rep.
Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, D-N.Y. Whoever wins the Democratic primary
will face Republican Trump-endorsed nominee Aaron Flint.
While
an open Senate seat does not make Montana, which has long been
considered a Republican stronghold, necessarily competitive for
Democrats, an independent candidate is outraising candidates in both
major parties. Seth Bodnar, Iraq war veteran and former president of the
University of Montana, is hoping voters will send him instead, mostly
on the message that he won't work for either party and is focused on
changing the direction America is heading. In Bodnar's case, he has
enough voter signatures to land himself on the November ballot, but the
Montana Secretary of State's Office hasn't yet certified those
signatures.
But two Senate candidates who will for sure appear on November's
ballot are Republican nominee Kurt Alme, an attorney endorsed by Trump
and Democratic nominee Alani Bankhead.
June 2 voter resources from the NPR Network
California | Iowa | Montana | New Jersey | New Mexico | South Dakota
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