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Not Now Turn On<doc-sep>Vermont Democratic gubernatorial candidate Christine Hallquist, center, a transgender woman and former electric company executive, embraces supporters after claiming victory during her election night party in Burlington, Vermont on Tuesday. Democrat Christine Hallquist made history tonight when she became the first transgender person nominated for governor by a major party. Halliquist said her win in Vermont is "a victory for all Americans." "It is no surprise to me living in Vermont, I love Vermont and this is pretty typical for what Vermont is," she said. "Vermont has been a loving state, a leader in civil rights and we're going to continue to show the rest of the country what good democracy looks like." Halliquist said she wants people to look beyond that she is transgender.<doc-sep>In an evening filled with history, a trans woman secured a major party gubernatorial nomination for the first time ever, the country is poised to send its first Muslim women to Congress, a major political party decided to run a guy with a mustache in a tough race, an important figure from the heady days of mid-aughts political blogging made a comeback, and big things happened in Minnesota for the first time since Prince died. These primaries set up a series of races that often defy national trends: Republicans having a real shot at winning in Connecticut and a near lock on Vermont, while risking major losses in more conservative Midwestern states. Here’s who won and who lost. Winner: Minnesota Democrats About a week before primary day, Rachel Cohen of the Intercept dropped a scoop indicating that Minnesota Attorney General (and clear frontrunner for the Democratic Party’s gubernatorial nomination) Lori Swanson had illegally relied on her official staff to do campaign work. It was the kind of situation that appeared to run the risk of dirtying up the nominee in plenty of time for it to cripple her in November while also happening too close to primary day for the impact to sink in with the voters and get them to choose someone else. But that didn’t happen. Instead, Swanson drastically underperformed her poll numbers and finished third. The winner, Rep. Tim Walz, a Democrat who’s been holding down a reddish House seat, is probably the strongest candidate Democrats could field anyway and, in light of the scandal swirling around Swanson, is certainly stronger. This is still a tough race in November — Minnesota has been trending more conservatively in recent years — but the primary worked out very well for Democrats, and they are now more likely than not to win. Loser: Minnesota Democrats The exact opposite thing happened, meanwhile, in the race for Minnesota attorney general, where Rep. Keith Ellison won handily despite late-breaking domestic abuse allegations that are unverified as of now but certainly could get worse for Ellison and could hurt him even if they don’t. Furthering the contrast with the situation at the top of the ticket, Ellison is one of the most left-wing members of the House and has spent his career holding down an extremely safe urban district that gives him little obvious appeal to Minnesota swing voters in the rural Iron Range. Losing the AG race, even if it happens, is not the biggest deal in the world. But Ellison is a high-profile national figure thanks to his associations with Bernie Sanders, so any effort by Walz, who is at the top of the ticket, and the three Democrats running in tough Minnesota House races to distance themselves from Ellison could be poorly received by an important segment of the base. Then again, if Democrats are seen as not taking domestic abuse seriously, that could also be poorly received by an important segment of the base. A clear exoneration of Ellison would make for a happy ending to the story, but it’s possible this could evolve into an ugly situation. Winner: transgender visibility Christine Hallquist, who won the Democratic Party nomination to serve as governor of Vermont, is a definite underdog against popular incumbent Republican Phil Scott, who swept into office after the collapse of an effort to create a state-level Medicare-for-all plan and has impressed voters with his moderation. But it would be foolish to entirely count out the Democratic nominee in a heavily Democratic state running in a national political environment that’s favorable to Democrats. What’s more, Hallquist is breaking ground as the first openly transgender person to capture a major party gubernatorial nomination — a huge step forward in a country that just elected its first openly trans state legislator last fall. If she wins, she’ll have a mandate to pursue an aggressive progressive agenda including a $15-an-hour minimum wage, rural co-ops to provide high-speed broadband throughout the state, and, yes, another bite at the single-payer apple. But win or lose, her campaign will be the highest-profile political exposure for a trans person in American history. Loser: teens Elsewhere in the Vermont gubernatorial election, 14-year-old Ethan Sonneborn successfully got himself on the ballot despite being too young to vote. And he got crushed, finishing in a distant fourth place behind environmental activist James Ehlers and Brenda Siegel, the executive director of the Southern Vermont Dance Festival. People really did not want to vote for a teenager. Sonneborn’s campaign platform was mostly standard-issue Democratic fare, but unlike his rivals, he did come out in favor of a carbon emissions tax — an idea most experts tout as a highly efficient way to address an acute global crisis that is also famously unpopular with voters. So in theory, maybe he did so badly because of the carbon tax. But back in the real world, we all know it’s because he was 14. As a longstanding proponent of letting kids vote, I find this setback for the cause of youth political rights to be somewhat regrettable. It’s hard to avoid the conclusion that Hallquist was a stronger candidate than Sonneborn, but the poor kid even got beat by the Dance Festival lady. Winner: old-time bloggers Ned Lamont is back! Let me explain. Back when George W. Bush was president and long before content optimization strategy ruled the land, we had political blogs and a thing called “the Netroots.” And while Netroots figures had many causes, the highest cause of all was hating Joe Lieberman. Hatred for Lieberman ran so deep that even professional nice guy Ezra Klein once accused him of being “willing to cause the deaths of hundreds of thousands of people in order to settle an old electoral score.” (This was basically accurate.) The great lost chance to kill off Lieberman’s career in electoral politics came in 2006, when he lost a primary challenge to business leader Ned Lamont. But then Lieberman, because he’s annoying, refused to endorse the Democratic nominee for Senate, choosing instead to run for reelection as the Connecticut for Lieberman party’s nominee.<doc-sep>Voters across the country will pick the candidates for some of November’s most contested House, Senate, and governor’s races in Tuesday’s primary elections in Wisconsin, Minnesota, Connecticut, and Vermont. Wisconsin Democrats will select the nominee they hope can finally take down Republican Gov. Scott Walker, as they get their fourth shot in 10 years to unseat him. Minnesota has a wide-open governor’s race and some House districts that both Democrats and Republicans think they could win from the other party in the 2018 midterm elections. In deep-blue Connecticut, Republicans still might have a chance to win the governor’s mansion with a deeply unpopular outgoing Democratic governor. The Democrats hope they could turn the tables in Vermont, though Republican Gov. Phil Scott has enjoyed a healthy level of popularity over his first term. Polls start to close at 7 pm ET. Vox will have live results for all the big races, powered by Decision Desk. Wisconsin governor: Democrats have another shot at Scott Walker Gov. Scott Walker is up for reelection again, and Democrats are hoping 2018 is the year they can finally kick him out of the governor’s mansion. More than eight Democrats have filed to run in Wisconsin’s gubernatorial primary. Tony Evers, the state’s public education chief, is in the lead, but polling has been scarce, and several other candidates have pulled in notable endorsements and fundraising. Mahlon Mitchell, the president of the Professional Fire Fighters Association, has the support of California Sen. Kamala Harris, and Kelda Helen Roys, a former state Assembly member, has the backing of New York’s Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand (and Wisconsin’s most famed indie band, Bon Iver). State Sen. Kathleen Vinehout (who has run in a Democratic gubernatorial primary before) and political activist Mike McCabe have also gotten progressive support. Walker will be a formidable challenge, having won three elections in eight years in Wisconsin. But his failed 2016 presidential campaign tanked his popularity in the state, something he has been campaigning hard to fix. Polls show him in a tighter race this year with his Democratic challengers than in any of his past races. Wisconsin Senate: a bitter Republican primary to oust a red-state Democrat Sen. Tammy Baldwin is up for her first reelection, and Republicans are gunning for her seat. But a bitter Republican primary risks leaving the party bruised for the general election. The race is between state Sen. Leah Vukmir and former veteran/ex-Democrat Kevin Nicholson. The Republicans have pushed each other to the right and embraced President Trump. Nicholson’s history as a Democrat and Vukmir’s initial resistance to embrace Trump in 2016 have been used against them. Baldwin was supposed to be vulnerable, as a relatively low-profile Democrat in a state that voted for Trump. But early polling has shown her ahead of both Vukmir and Nicholson by 10 points or more — and it doesn’t help that Republicans have spent months beating up on their own. Wisconsin’s First Congressional District: Democrats really want to take Paul Ryan’s seat Randy “Ironstache” Bryce has been declared the winner of the Wisconsin First Democratic primary. Paul Ryan is retiring, and Democrats think they can flip his congressional district blue. Two candidates — Randy Bryce, a populist ironworker and union organizer who goes by the nickname “Ironstache”; and Cathy Myers, a school board member and teacher — are in a bitter battle for the chance to win Ryan’s seat in Congress. Bryce gained a national platform after releasing a viral campaign ad in the summer of 2017, raking in donations and winning some high-profile endorsements, like that of Sen. Bernie Sanders. But he’s had media flubs and faced questions over past arrests for marijuana use and a DUI, and his past failures to pay child support. Myers, who has won elected office in the area, has been actively attacking Bryce’s character and his lack of policy chops. It’s made for an ugly race — and one that could damage both candidates for the general. The Republican primary looks much more straightforward. Bryan Steil, a well-known local business executive with Ryan’s endorsement, is the favorite to win the Republican nomination. Also on the ballot: Self-described “pro-White Christian American candidate” and alt-right troll Paul Nehlen; Nick Polce, an Army Green Beret and first-time candidate; Jeremy Ryan, a pro-marijuana candidate whose campaign website features him taking bong rips; and Kevin Steen, a Christian business leader who has been endorsed by Pro-Life Wisconsin. Wisconsin’s Seventh Congressional District: an opening for Democrats in the north Covering much of northern Wisconsin, this is the half-rural, half-urban kind of district Democrats are eying across the country in 2018. Health care is playing a major role in this race, after incumbent Republican Rep. Sean Duffy voted for the GOP’s deeply unpopular Obamacare repeal bill last year. Two Democrats — Margaret Engebretson, an attorney, veteran, and former railroad union worker; and Brian Ewert, a doctor at the Marshfield Clinic — are hoping they can unseat him. Minnesota governor: Democrat Mark Dayton is retiring, leaving an open seat Minnesota Gov. Mark Dayton is retiring, and there’s a sizable field of candidates lining up to replace him. On the Democratic side, there’s a competitive three-way race between US Rep. Tim Walz, state Rep. Erin Murphy, and state Attorney General Lori Swanson. Walz and Swanson look like the frontrunners in this race: A July NBC News/Marist poll found 28 percent of Minnesota primary voters favored Swanson, 24 percent supported Walz, and 11 percent backed Murphy, a progressive candidate running on Medicare-for-all. Walz represents a more conservative part of the state in Congress, and is being forced to reckon with his past stance on guns — one that had earned him an A rating from the National Rifle Association. Swanson is also facing allegations that she had staff in the attorney general’s office do political work for her. On the Republican side, the race is on between former Gov. Tim Pawlenty and former state Rep. Jeff Johnson, who ran for governor unsuccessfully in 2014. On the Republican side, Pawlenty has more name recognition and campaign cash than Johnson, reflected in his 19-point polling lead in the NBC News/Marist poll.<doc-sep>
(CNN) — The nation’s first transgender governor, its first Somali-American woman in Congress and its first black woman in Connecticut’s congressional delegation could all be on the horizon after Tuesday’s slate of four primaries. In Wisconsin and Minnesota – two states where Democrats hope to rebound after losing ground to President Donald Trump in the 2016 election – voters chose their nominees for governor, the Senate and several competitive House races. In Vermont and Connecticut, the competition was largely intra-party. Here are five takeaways from Tuesday’s primaries: Diversity rules the night Christine Hallquist’s bid to become the nation’s first transgender governor cleared a major hurdle Tuesday when Vermont Democrats nominated her to take on incumbent Republican Gov. Phil Scott. Hallquist is now the first openly transgender person to be nominated for governor by a major party. Charles Krupa/AP Vermont Democratic gubernatorial candidate Christine Hallquist on primary election night. It’s a breakthrough of both substantial and symbolic importance for LGBTQ Americans – and particularly the trans community, which has long been shut out of the highest levels of elected office. Three years after Oregon’s Kate Brown became the nation’s first openly bisexual governor, Democrats have now nominated what would become the nation’s first openly gay (Lupe Valdez in Texas and Jared Polis in Colorado) and transgender (Hallquist in Vermont) governors at the time of their election, should they win in November. Hallquist is one of more than 400 LGBTQ candidates running in this cycle, a record according to the Victory Institute. Another “first” from Tuesday night: In Minnesota’s 5th District, Democrats nominated state Rep. Ilhan Omar, a Somali-American progressive woman. She’s likely to join Michigan’s Rashida Tlaib as the first Muslim women in Congress. The 2016 National Teacher of the Year, Jahana Hayes, defeated an opponent endorsed by the local Democratic Party to win a House primary in Connecticut. She’d become the first black Democratic member of the state’s congressional delegation. John Woike/Hartford Courant via AP Jahana Hayes reacts after winning the Democratic primary for Connecticut's 5th Congressional District. T-Paw’s comeback bid falls flat Don’t call it a comeback. Former Minnesota Republican Gov. Tim Pawlenty’s bid to win back his old job stalled on Tuesday when Hennepin County Commissioner Jeff Johnson beat him in the state’s Republican primary. Johnson will face Democratic Rep. Tim Walz in the November general election. Walz, who represents the southern part of the state, bested state Rep. Erin Murphy and Attorney General Lori Swanson in the Minnesota’s Democratic primary. Alex Kormann/Star Tribune via AP Minnesota gubernatorial candidate Jeff Johnson, center, is greeted by his supporters after returning to the watch party, Tuesday, Aug. 14, 2018. Pawlenty’s defeat is the latest negative chapter in the former governor’s political career. Pawlenty decided to run for president in 2012 after two terms as governor of Minnesota. Despite early hype and sizable expectations, Pawlenty fizzled quickly and dropped out months before the Iowa caucus in September 2011 after a lackluster run. This year, he left a $2.7 million per year job to seek a return to the governor’s office. Johnson now moves on to a busy general election in Minnesota, where – in addition to the governor’s race – there are two Senate races, multiple competitive House races and a closely watched race for attorney general. Ellison wins – but a cloud looms over his victory It was a good news, bad news night for Democratic Rep. Keith Ellison. The congressman won the Democratic nomination for Minnesota attorney general, positioning him to lead the progressive opposition to Trump through legal battles. Renee Jones Schneider/Star Tribune via AP Rep. Keith Ellison poses for a selfie with Jennifer Lindquist after winning the Democratic nomination for Attorney General. But, as Ellison celebrated his win, the Democratic National Committee said it was reviewing domestic abuse allegations against its deputy chair – which emerged over the weekend and Ellison has flatly denied. “These allegations recently came to light and we are reviewing them,” a DNC spokeswoman said. “All allegations of domestic abuse are disturbing and should be taken seriously.” Ellison denied allegations made public on Saturday that he physically abused an ex-girlfriend. The allegations were detailed in a Facebook post by Austin Monahan, the son of Ellison’s former girlfriend Karen Monahan. “Karen and I were in a long-term relationship which ended in 2016, and I still care deeply for her well-being,” Ellison said in a statement.