Multiple House members are facing primary challengers on Tuesday, when voters head to the polls in seven states
Five states — Colorado, Illinois, Oklahoma, Utah and New York — will hold primaries, while Mississippi holds primary runoffs and voters in Nebraska’s 1st District will head to the polls in a special election.
Illinois is hosting two incumbent v. incumbent primaries, thanks to redistricting. And lawmakers in both parties are also facing primary challengers across multiple states.
Biden’s endorsement tested in Illinois
President Joe Biden’s endorsement will once again be put to the test, this time in Illinois’ 7th District, where Democratic Rep. Danny Davis is facing off against community organizer Kina Collins, who has been endorsed by Justice Democrats.
Collins has significantly outraised and outspent Davis in the race. But Davis, who was first elected in 1996, has deep roots in the district and is backed by Speaker Nancy Pelosi, Chicago Mayor Lori Lightfoot, both the state’s senators, and Gov. Pritzker.
Mississippi Republicans in runoffs
Two Mississippi Republicans — Reps. Michael Guest and Steven Palazzo — were forced into primary runoffs earlier this month when they failed to win more than 50% of the primary vote.
Guest is facing Republican Michael Cassidy, who actually finished slightly higher than in the primary. Cassidy has highlighted Guest’s support for an independent investigation into the Jan. 6 attack on the Capitol. Guest and his allies, including the Congressional Leadership Fund, a super PAC aligned with GOP leadership, have launched aids criticizing Cassidy’s policy prescriptions — highlighting how he briefly backed a version of Medicare-for-ll as well as a $20,000 government gift to every newlywed couple.
Palazzo is in a runoff against Jackson County Sheriff Mike Ezell, where Palazzo has faced criticism over an ethics investigation into allegations he misused campaign funds and misused his power for personal gain.
Colorado Republicans face challengers
Controversial GOP Rep. Lauren Boebert has Trump’s endorsement, but she’s still facing a challenge from her own party from state Sen. Don Coram, who has pitched himself as “a legislator, not an instigator.” Boebert has vastly outraised and outspent Coram in the race.
And GOP Rep. Doug Lamborn is facing multiple primary challengers, but the most well-funded Republican is state Rep. Dave Williams, a hard-right legislator who told CPR the voters “deserve someone who’s going to Washington to be a wrecking ball, you know, against the corrupt establishment in both parties.”
Lamborn has fended off primary challengers five times since he was first elected in 2006, most recently in 2018.
