Voters in Wisconsin, Vermont, Minnesota and Connecticut headed to the polls for primaries on Tuesday. Democratic Lt. Gov. Mandela Barnes easily won the primary to take on GOP Sen. Ron Johnson after Barnes’ top competitors dropped out. And Rep. Peter Welch, D-Vt., won the Democratic primary to replace retiring Democratic Sen. Patrick Leahy.
There were some competitive races to watch. Here’s a look at the results in the major races, per the latest vote counts from NBC’s Decision Desk:
Wisconsin Governor: Construction company owner Tim Michels (47%) defeated former Lt. Gov. Rebecca Kleefisch (42%) in the GOP primary. Michels, who had Trump’s backing, will face Democratic Gov. Tony Evers in November.
Connecticut Senate: Leora Levy (51%), a GOP fundraiser who has Trump’s endorsement, defeated former state House Minority Leader Themis Klarides (40%), who was backed by the state GOP, in the primary to take on Democratic Sen. Richard Blumenthal.
Vermont Senate: Army veteran Gerald Malloy (43%) upset former U.S. Attorney Christina Nolan (36%) in the GOP primary for Senate. He will face Welch in the fall.
Minnesota 1st District (Special): Former state Rep. Brad Finstad (51%) won the special election to replace the late GOP Rep. Jim Hagedorn, defeating Democratic-Farmer-Labor Party candidate Jeff Ettinger, a former CEO of Hormel Foods (47%). The two men also won their respective primaries for the newly drawn 1st District and will face off again in November.
Minnesota 5th District: Democratic Rep. Ilhan Omar (50%) won the primary, defeating former Minneapolis City Council member Don Samuels (48%) in the 5th District, which is expected to remain in Democratic hands.
Vermont At Large House District: State Senate President Becca Balint (60%) won the Democratic primary for the state’s at-large House seat, defeating Lt. Gov. Molly Gray (37%). Balint is in a strong position to win the traditionally Democratic seat, which would make her the first woman to represent Vermont in Congress.
Wisconsin state Assembly: The Associated Press projects that State Assembly Speaker Robin Vos, who Trump has pressured to overturn the state’s 2020 election results, will win his primary over Trump-backed challenger Adam Steen.
Elsewhere on the campaign trail…
Ohio Senate: One Nation, the non-profit arm of the GOP super PAC Senate Leadership Fund, launched a $3.8 million ad campaign targeting Democratic Rep. Tim Ryan. The first ad knocks on inflation, and urges him not to support the sweeping climate, health care and tax package that passed the Senate.
Pennsylvania Senate: Outside groups are spending big in Pennsylvania, the Philadelphia Inquirer reports. Senate Leadership Fund announced it would spend an additional $9.5 million in the state.
Arizona Governor: The Arizona Democratic Party released its first TV ad targeting Republican Kari Lake, painting Lake as “radical,” focusing largely on Lake’s positions on abortion.
Pennsylvania Governor: GOP state Sen. Doug Mastriano’s virtual appearance before the Jan. 6 Committee Tuesday only lasted 15 minutes, Mastriano’s attorney told NBC News’ Julia Jester. Mastriano wanted to record the interview, or postpone it until after the November election, but the committee rejected his terms, per Mastriano’s attorney.
Indiana 2nd District: Gov. Eric Holcomb announced that there will be a special election on Election Day to replace the late GOP Rep. Jackie Walorski. Local party officials will choose their nominees and the winner will serve out the period after the election through early January.
