June 5 was the biggest primary day of the year — but it may take some time before all the election results are clear. Many of the most-watched races are in California, which closes polls late, counts votes slowly, and uses the unusual “top two” system that means both first- and second-place winners need to be declared — potentially making the proceedings drag on for days. But seven other states went to the polls Tuesday, and many held primaries with national ramifications. New Jersey, an important state in Democrats’ efforts to take over the House of Representatives, chose its nominees in key races. Montana picked a Republican nominee in a key Senate race the national party is watching closely. Iowa, New Mexico, Mississippi, Alabama, and South Dakota held their primaries too. On top of all that, there was another state Senate special election in Missouri that Democrats could celebrate. Here, then, are some key winners and losers for the states other than California that had June 5 primaries. (Update: Takeaways from California’s preliminary results can be found at this link.) Loser: New Jersey Republicans In a state that’s voted consistently Democratic on the presidential level for decades, Republicans have done a decent job winning some important political offices. Not only did Chris Christie serve eight years as New Jersey’s governor, but Republicans have controlled at least five seats of the state’s 12-member congressional delegation since the last redistricting. But all that is in danger in the age of Trump. Democrat Phil Murphy won the governorship last November, and now several GOP-held congressional districts are among Democrats’ top targets in the country. Already, two formidable Republican incumbents who’ve each been in Congress for 24 years — Rep. Frank LoBiondo in the Second District, and Rep. Rodney Frelinghuysen in the 11th — chose to retire rather than face tough reelection fights this year. Rep. Leonard Lance, in the Seventh, also faces a difficult battle in a district Hillary Clinton won. Now that the primary results are in, Democrats have gotten the candidates they wanted in these three races. In the Second, they’ll field moderate Jeff Van Drew, who’s represented much of the district for a decade in the state Senate. In the 11th, they’ll put up former Navy pilot and prosecutor Mikie Sherrill, a female veteran who’s been a blockbuster fundraiser. In the Seventh, the nominee will be former Obama State Department official Tom Malinowski. These outcomes aren’t really surprising. New Jersey has an unusual primary ballot rule in which the county party’s endorsement is actually printed on the ballot, which gives a big boost to candidates with the party’s backing. Still, the party has its preferred nominees, and the national consequences could be big because New Jersey’s House Republicans look likely to face their toughest election races in decades. Loser: anti-corruption Democrats Since his indictment on corruption charges in 2015, Sen. Bob Menendez (D-NJ) has been under a cloud. Accused of using his Senate office to do favors for a wealthy Florida eye doctor in exchange for private jet flights and fancy vacation accommodations, Menendez stepped aside as the top Democrat on the Senate Foreign Relations Committee. As his trial approached in 2017, there seemed to be a high chance that, whatever the outcome, he wouldn’t run for another term. But in November of last year, jurors couldn’t unanimously agree on a verdict for any of the charges against Menendez. So a mistrial was declared, and the Justice Department ended up dropping the case rather than trying to prosecute him again. Menendez soon got his foreign relations post back and announced he’d run for a third full term. You might think, then, that Menendez would have drawn a primary challenger running on an anti-corruption (or at least an “I have never been indicted”) platform. But, of course, this is New Jersey we’re talking about, and the state’s hierarchical Democratic machine remained united behind him. One primary challenger quit the race after failing to raise much money, and Menendez was left with only one little-known opponent, community news website publisher Lisa McCormick, who hadn’t disclosed raising or spending any money at the time of the last campaign finance filing deadline. Menendez won, of course, but his win wasn’t particularly impressive — at press time, he had 62 percent of the vote to McCormick’s 38 percent. If he had drawn a serious opponent, would he have lost renomination? We’ll never know. Menendez will face wealthy pharmaceutical executive Bob Hugin, who’s poured $7.5 million of his own money into his campaign already, in the general election. Winner: Democrats in special elections, again Amid all the primaries, there were a few state legislature special elections as well — and in one state Senate contest, in Missouri, Democrats flipped another seat formerly held by Republicans. Democrat Lauren Arthur, a two-term state representative and former schoolteacher, beat her Republican opponent by about 19 points in a district Donald Trump won by 4. On the one hand, the election was held just days after Missouri’s Republican Gov. Eric Greitens resigned amid sexual misconduct allegations — so GOP voters might not have been thrilled to head to the polls. On the other hand, this adds to a lengthy list of special elections in which state legislature seats have flipped from Republican to Democratic. And Missouri’s an important state for Democrats this fall, with Sen. Claire McCaskill facing a tough reelection challenge from Republican state Attorney General Josh Hawley. Loser: Republican politicians who criticize Trump In October 2016, after the tape leaked in which GOP presidential nominee Donald Trump bragged that he liked to “grab” women “by the pussy,” Rep. Martha Roby (R-AL) had had enough. She withdrew her endorsement of Trump weeks before the election, saying, “Donald Trump’s behavior makes him unacceptable as a candidate for president, and I won’t vote for him.” But of course, Trump won. And this year, Roby, now running for a fifth term in the House, came under fire for her criticism of him. At press time, she only had about 39 percent of the vote in her GOP primary — meaning she’d head to a runoff against Bobby Bright (who, oddly enough, held the seat before Roby as a Democrat but has since switched to the GOP). Meanwhile, up in New Jersey, longtime conservative activist Steve Lonegan hoped to secure the GOP nomination to take on Democratic Rep. Josh Gottheimer in the Fifth District. But Lonegan had harshly criticized Trump back in 2016 — and luckily for his opponent John McCann, there was footage of Trump firing back that he could put in his ads. (“I’ve known Lonegan for 25 years, he’s a loser!” Trump had said.) Lonegan lost. Steve Lonegan is anti-Trump and can’t beat the Democrats. He’s just an embarrassment. Watch my latest TV ad on air TODAY in #NJ5: pic.twitter.com/K5e9xhfDr3 — John McCann (@realJohnMcCann) May 21, 2018 So with Lonegan losing and Roby facing a runoff, it’s a reminder that in today’s Republican Party, if you stick your neck out and criticize President Trump too much, GOP voters may very well punish you. Winner: Deb Haaland New Mexico’s First Congressional District, which includes Albuquerque, has an open seat race this year because the incumbent is running for governor. And the winner of the three-way Democratic primary was Deb Haaland — who’s now the favorite to become the first Native American woman ever elected to Congress. Haaland chaired the state’s Democratic Party and worked for the Obama campaign in 2012. Joshua Holland interviewed Haaland for the Nation recently, and the candidate said her top policy priorities would be fighting climate change, supporting a “renewable energy revolution,” and Medicare-for-all. Trump lost this district by more than 16 points, so Haaland starts the general election as the obvious frontrunner and likely will make history this fall. Winner: Rep. Kristi Noem Back in 2010, Kristi Noem defeated a Democratic incumbent to become South Dakota’s sole representative in the US House. Since then, she’s been viewed as a rising star in the GOP. Shortly after the 2016 election, she announced she’d run for governor, hoping to become the state’s first female governor.<doc-sep>June 5 marks one of the most consequential and crowded primary days of the year. Much of the action is in California, where a “jungle primary” system could lock Democrats out of important House races in November and 84-year-old Sen. Dianne Feinstein is facing a compelling primary challenger. There’s also a surprisingly heated governor’s primary contest in South Dakota. Eight states go to the polls on Tuesday: Alabama, California, New Jersey, Iowa, Montana, Mississippi, New Mexico, and South Dakota. Of course, not all those states have high-profile primary elections. We’ll guide you through what you actually need to pay attention to, with live results below, powered by Decision Desk. California Senate: Sen. Dianne Feinstein has a primary challenger Incumbent Sen. Dianne Feinstein, at age 84, is the oldest US senator; she’s been in office since 1992. This year, she has a challenger: state Sen. Kevin De León, the former president pro tempore of the California Senate, who thinks California might be ready to elect a younger, more progressive candidate. But Feinstein is still fairly popular in the state and has a war chest with millions. She’ll be tough to beat. On the Republican side, there’s pro-Trump candidate James Bradley, who has little money and almost no name recognition. He’s unlikely to make it through the primary. California’s Fourth District: Democrats are trying to target California’s most conservative Congress member Rep. Tom McClintock, the incumbent Republican and the most conservative Congress member in California, is almost guaranteed the top spot in the “top two” primary system. But there’s a heated race between two Democratic women to claim the No. 2 slot to run in November. Jessica Morse, 35, a national security strategist whose résumé includes the State Department, Defense Department, and USAID, has gained the Democratic Party endorsement and the support of many progressive groups. She’s outraised her Democratic competitors and even McClintock and is the Democratic favorite. But Regina Bateson, an MIT professor and native of the local town Roseville, has mounted a formidable challenge. This R+10 district is rated as Likely Republican by the Cook Political Report, but Democrats still think it’s in play. McClintock represents a district encompassing Roseville, Lake Tahoe, and down to Yosemite National Park — but he doesn’t live there. California’s 10th Congressional District: a beekeeper, the venture capitalist behind Blue Apron, and the daughter of immigrant farmworkers Incumbent Republican Rep. Jeff Denham, who came into Congress in the 2010 Tea Party wave, will likely be up against one of three Democrats in November: Michael Eggman, a 53-year-old third-generation beekeeper who is making his third run against Denham; Josh Harder, the 31-year-old venture capitalist who backed the meal kit service Blue Apron; and Virginia Madueño, the 52-year-old former mayor of Riverbank who has been tapped by Emily’s List. In 2016, Denham narrowly won by 3.4 percent in one of the closest House races in the country, and Hillary Clinton won the Central Valley district in 2016 by 3 points too; it’s rated as a toss-up, and is a prime pickup opportunity for Democrats. California’s 22nd Congressional District: a safe Republican seat that’s getting attention because of Devin Nunes Incumbent Republican Rep. Devin Nunes, friend to President Donald Trump and the author of the House Intelligence Committee’s dubious Russia investigation memo, is in a pretty safe Republican seat. But Democrats are still targeting the district, hoping Nunes’s role defending Trump in the Russia investigations will give them a boost. Andrew Janz, the Fresno County deputy district attorney, is considered best positioned to take on Nunes. He has the endorsement of the California Democratic Party and has raked in more than $1 million to challenge Nunes (mostly because Nunes is so nationally well-known/disliked). Entrepreneur Bobby Bliatout and business consultant Ricardo Franco are also running. California’s 25th Congressional District: a prime pickup opportunity for Democrats In this toss-up Los Angeles County district, the seat of incumbent Rep. Stephen Knight, who has been in office since 2015, is being targeted as a prime pickup opportunity for Democrats. All eyes are on attorney Bryan Caforio, who challenged Knight in 2016 and has locked up a lot of endorsements from labor and progressive groups. Democrat Katie Hill, a nonprofit policy advocate, has also mounted a formidable challenge, with the backing of Emily’s List, NARAL, Planned Parenthood, and a number of California’s Democratic Congress members. Both Caforio and Hill have out-fundraised Knight so far. California’s 39th Congressional District: in an open race, Democrats are in an absolute squabbling match This is a heated race to fill an open seat, vacated by retiring Republican Rep. Ed Royce. On the Democratic side, two wealthy candidates are in an ugly battle for a spot on the November ballot. Gil Cisneros, a former Navy officer and 2010 lottery winner (he won $266 million), is on the DCCC’s Red to Blue list, which is as close as the national campaign arm gets to endorsing a candidate. He’s up against Andy Thorburn, a health insurance executive and former teacher. It’s been a doozy of a race, including allegations of tax fraud and legal action over a voicemail. There’s also another Democrat in the running, pediatrician Mai Khanh Tran, who’s endorsed by Emily’s List. The field of Republicans running in this race is just as deep as the Democratic side. Three stand out: Shawn Nelson, the Orange County supervisor; Bob Huff, who is the former state Senate minority leader; and Young Kim, who has served in the state Assembly. This Orange County district is prime territory for Democrats to make gains in November, but they’ve failed to get behind a single candidate, and it could result in Democrats getting shut out of the general election altogether. California’s 45th Congressional District: a hotly contested Democratic race to challenge Mimi Walters Four Democrats are looking to earn a top-two slot and challenge incumbent Republican Rep. Mimi Walters. There’s Katie Porter, a UC Irvine law professor, who has endorsed Medicare-for-all and has the support of Sens. Elizabeth Warren and Kamala Harris. Dave Min, another UC Irvine law professor, is more moderate and received the endorsement of the California Democratic Party. Brian Forde is an ex-Republican who worked under President Obama, and Kia Hamadanchy is a young Iranian American who has worked for populist Democrats like former Sen. Tom Harkin and current Sen. Sherrod Brown. This is a diversifying Orange County district, where Clinton beat Donald Trump by 5 points in 2016. California’s 48th Congressional District: drunken bar fights, a Putin-adored Republican, and a Kasich-friendly Democrat ... what could go wrong? There’s a highly contested race playing out in Republican Rep. Dana Rohrabacher’s coastal district. Rohrabacher, who is expected to make it past the primary, has a surprisingly formidable Republican challenger in Scott Baugh, a former Orange County Republican Party chair who is a longtime friend of Rohrabacher’s. In a field of eight Democrats, two stand out: Harley Rouda, a DCCC and Indivisible-endorsed real estate investor who donated to Republican campaigns as recently as 2016; and Hans Keirstead, a stem cell scientist with a California Democratic Party endorsement who has spent a lot of time trying to fend off 2009 allegations that he slept with his grad students and got into a drunken fistfight. The race is a circus. Clinton eked out a 1-point win in this district in 2016, so Democrats are energized for a potential takeover, but if Baugh does well, there’s a possibility Democrats are going to get shut out of this race altogether. California’s 49th Congressional District: Republicans are just as likely to get shut out as Democrats This is a wide-open race to fill retiring Rep. Darrell Issa’s seat. Four Democrats are in a dead heat: real estate investor Paul Kerr; Sara Jacobs, the CEO of a nonprofit who comes from a wealthy family; environmental lawyer Mike Levin; and retired Marine Col. Doug Applegate. There are a whopping eight Republicans on the ballot too, and no clear winner among the pack.<doc-sep>Deb Haaland has won the primary for New Mexico's 1st Congressional District, CNN projects, putting her on track to become the first Native American woman in Congress. The former Democratic state party leader, an enrolled member of the Pueblo of Laguna, is seeking to replace Rep. Michelle Lujan Grisham, who is leaving her post representing the solidly Democratic district to run for governor. Haaland outlasted a strong field that included former US Attorney Damon Martinez and Antoinette Sedillo Lopez, an activist and former law professor. "Tonight, New Mexico made history," Haaland said in a speech Tuesday, calling hers a "victory for working people, a victory for women and a victory for everyone who has been sidelined by the billionaire class." There are 23 tribes in New Mexico, according to the state's Indian Affairs Department, and Native Americans make up a little more than 10% of the total population. Haaland will face Republican Janice Arnold-Jones, who ran unopposed, in November.<doc-sep>
Voters will head to the polls on Tuesday for primary elections in eight states — Alabama, California, Iowa, Mississippi, Montana, New Jersey, New Mexico, and South Dakota — to cast their ballots in a number of consequential contests that could have big implications in November. Democrats are eyeing states such as California and New Jersey as major opportunities for taking back the House of Representatives, and a pair of new governors — Kay Ivey of Alabama and Kim Reynolds of Iowa — are engaged in their first races to hold on to their spots. Meanwhile, states like South Dakota and New Mexico are picking new governors as their current ones run up against term limits. And voters in Montana will scrutinize the slate of Republican candidates vying to face off against Sen. Jon Tester this fall. It’s sort of like Super Tuesday, but for 2018. Polls close in Alabama and Mississippi at 7 pm Eastern time, in New Jersey at 8 pm Eastern time, in New Mexico at 7 pm Mountain time, in South Dakota at 7 pm Mountain time and Central time, depending on what part of the state you’re in, in Montana at 8 pm Mountain time, in Iowa at 9 pm Central time, and in California at 8 pm Pacific time. Here’s a quick guide to what’s at stake in every state. Alabama Polls close: 7 pm Central time Kay Ivey took over as governor of Alabama in 2017 after Robert Bentley resigned in the wake of a scandal involving an extramarital affair and alleged cover-up by law enforcement. She will face three Republican challengers in her primary and is expected to win, but unless she or another candidate gets a majority of the votes, she’ll have a runoff on July 17. Multiple Democrats are engaged in their own primary to face her or whoever wins the Republican nomination in November. It’s unlikely any elections in Alabama will be competitive in November or in the primaries, with the exception of, perhaps, the Second Congressional District, currently home to Republican Rep. Martha Roby. As FiveThirtyEight points out, the district’s GOP primary is crowded and competitive, and Roby is facing opposition from two candidates who have aligned themselves significantly with President Trump. California Polls close: 8 pm Pacific time If Democrats want to take back the House in 2018, California is likely to play a major role in how they get there — the party has set out to flip 10 California House seats from Republican to Democrat in November. And Tuesday’s primaries will be an important step along the way, especially as the state’s “top two” primary system and a crowded Democratic field stand to make the path especially complicated. As Vox’s Tara Golshan writes, there are nine California districts to keep an eye on in Tuesday’s primary for House seats. They include California’s 22nd District, which is currently represented by Republican Rep. Devin Nunes; its 39th District, where a packed field means Democrats risk splitting the vote so much that none of them are on the ballot in November; and its 48th District, represented by Russia-friendly GOP Rep. Dana Rohrabacher. There’s a wrinkle in the California primary system that could actually make the 2018 blue wave detrimental to Democrats. The state’s top-two primary scheme means Republicans and Democrats run together in the same primary contest and the first- and second-place candidates move on to the general. There are so many Democrats running in some races that they risk splitting the vote so much that Republicans will end up with the first and second spots — and, in some cases, vice versa. In the 49th District, for example, there are four prominent Democrats running and eight Republicans. The House races aren’t the only ones to keep an eye on in California — there’s a Senate primary too. Democratic Sen. Dianne Feinstein, first elected in 1992, is facing a challenge to her left from state Sen. Kevin de León. If he places second place in Tuesday’s primary, Feinstein will face him in November as well. Iowa Polls close: 9 pm Central time A governor’s race and two congressional races are what to watch for in Iowa on Tuesday. Two Democrats — business owner Fred Hubbell and local labor leader Cathy Glasson — are competing in the Democratic primary to take on incumbent Gov. Kim Reynolds in the fall.