First Read's 10 Primary Races to Watch
Mark your calendars! Primary season is here, and there are LOT of important contests to watch through the spring and summer as the parties duke it out. Here are 10 that you should make sure to keep tabs on — in chronological order.
- WV-SEN, GOP primary(May 8) — Republicans are increasingly worried that former Massey Energy CEO Don Blankenship, who served a year in prison after the 2010 explosion at his West Virginia mine — could come out on top in the primary. If he does, many fear that vulnerable Democratic Sen. Joe Manchin would have a far easier path to reelection in the fall than if he faced either of Blankenship’s main opponents, Rep. Evan Jenkins or state Attorney General Patrick Morrisey.
- IN-SEN, GOP primary (May 8) — Incumbent Joe Donnelly is one of the most vulnerable Democrats in the country, but the three main GOP contenders to take him on —Todd Rokita and Luke Messer and Mike Braun — must first get through a brutal and deeply personal brawl to win the nod.
- OH-GOV, Dem and GOP primary (May 8) — Former federal consumer watchdog Richard Cordray and longtime Ohio pol Dennis Kucinich are the top candidates fighting for the Democratic nomination. Attorney General Mike DeWine is the heavy favorite against Lt. Gov Mary Taylor on the GOP side, but it’s been a nasty race, with a pro-Taylor super PAC deriding DeWine on TV as insufficiently close to Trump and DeWine branding his opponent as a “slacker.”
- GA GOV, Dem primary (May 22) — Candidates Stacey Abrams and Stacey Evans are locked in a tense contest as the two female Democrats try to claim the party’s mantle, with race playing a prominent role (Abrams is black, Evans is white.)
- California House primaries (June 5) — Orange County’s changing demographics and Clinton-friendly districts should be favorable to Democrats, particularly after a pair of high-profile Republican retirements. But the state’s top-two primary system threatens to shut Democrats out of several contests completely if too many Democratic candidates divide the vote amongst themselves.
- VA-SEN, GOP primary (June 12) — Virginia Democrat Tim Kaine is expected to have a fairly smooth reelection race, but the outcome of the GOP primary still may have important consequences for the Republican Party up and down the ballot in Virginia. The best-known GOP contender so far is Corey Stewart, who stridently defended Confederate imagery during his near-win in the gubernatorial primary last year. Republicans privately worry that Stewart at the top of the ticket could drag down moderate Republican House candidates elsewhere in the state, hurting the party’s chances of keeping the House majority.
- WI-SEN, GOP primary (August 14) — There’s a ton of outside money already pouring into Wisconsin as state Sen. Leah Vukmir (who’s been endorsed by Scott Walker’s wife Tonette) and Marine veteran Kevin Nicholson (who has the backing of the Club for Growth and megadonor Richard Uihlein, among others) battle for the chance to take on vulnerable Democrat Tammy Baldwin.
- AZ-SEN, GOP primary (August 28) — Conservative Kelli Ward has been bashing Rep. Martha McSally from the right (and don’t forget that Joe Arpaio is in this race, too). The winner will face a strong candidate in Democrat Kyrsten Sinema.
- FL-GOV, Dem and GOP primary (August 28) — Guns are becoming a big issue on both sides of this primary as Gwen Graham (daughter to former senator and governor Bob Graham) dukes it out with Tallahassee Mayor Andrew Gillum and former Miami Beach Mayor Phil Levine in the Democratic contest, while the competitive Republican field includes agriculture commissioner Adam Putnam, Trump-backed Rep. Ron DeSantis and – likely – Florida House Speaker Richard Corcoran.
- NY-GOV, Dem primary (September 13) — Actress and activist Cynthia Nixon, famous for her role as a star in the HBO hit series “Sex and the City,” could give incumbent Gov. Andrew Cuomo a tough fight if she can build the right coalition of voters in the state.