Seven Obama alumni won their primary contests Tuesday, out of the 16 candidates with ties to the former president who competed in what was the biggest night of voting so far this year.

That brings the number of candidates connected to former President Barack Obama who are advancing to November's general election to at least 17, according to an NBC News tally on Wednesday. According to the Obama Alumni Association, which is tracking the bids of former staffers, more than 66 veterans from his political campaigns, two administrations and Senate office are running in federal, state or local elections this year, and more may add their names as the primary season continues.

A couple of the June 5 races, which occurred in California, Montana, New Jersey, New Mexico and fourother states, saw alums pitted against each other. And in some cases, their success Tuesday has them poised for historic firsts.

Deb Haaland, 57, who according to The Associated Press won the Democratic primary in New Mexico's 1st Congressional District, would be the country's first Native American congresswoman if she wins again in November. She was a full-time Obama volunteer in 2008 and the New Mexico Native American vote director for his re-election campaign in 2012, and credits him with helping her find the courage to run. Many of her volunteers date back to those campaigns, and her office is still decorated with old Obama signs, she told NBC News last month.

“I feel like if I hadn't worked for the president, I would never have had the courage or